The Love Life of a Matchmaker
by cherrione
Summary: ...Or Rein doesn't have plans to have one. Unfortunately, feelings she had set aside for so long won't let her.
1. Chapter 1: Passionate

Disclaimer: FBNFH belongs to its rightful owners.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Passionate**

Oftentimes, Fine wondered if twins were bound to get more and more different to each other as they grow up. Starting from their appearances, people were already surprised when they learn that they were actually twins: she with the bright red hair and cerise eyes and Rein with hair of a radiant blue and sea-green eyes. Their friends had commented several times about how much they contrast each other not only with their looks but personality: Fine's tomboyish while Rein is boycrazy. Despite all their differences though, they get along so well that they considered themselves the other halves of each other.

Fine liked to believed that she was the one who knew Rein best but she's getting an inkling that this might no longer be true now. There were a lot of things she couldn't understand about her twin sister and she's sure Rein was also going through the same thing. She couldn't understand why Rein still wouldn't let go of her age-old crush on Bright when it is awfully clear for even a dense girl like Fine that he only sees her as a friend. And she also couldn't understand her when Rein told her while Fine's mouth was still full of lemonade that she had gotten over that ill-fated crush, causing her to spat out a mouthful of the cold drink on Rein's unsuspecting face. Fine wondered, was seeing some poor guy get rejected by his crush in front of many people finally compelled Rein to move on?

Maybe it's because Fine wasn't an expert on love-related stuff like her sister was. She decided not to pry. She couldn't forget her dejected look when Altessa told her that Bright already likes someone else. She didn't want to see her sister look like that again. Rein was supposed to always to have a bright smile and eyes that are full of life on her face.

Besides, Fine would probably gain another headache trying to understand the antics of the bluenette. She was just glad Rein's unhealthy obsession had reached its end and she would no longer have to worry about the unlucky girl Bright set his eyes on.

What Fine did care about was Rein's new hobby. Instead of fantasizing about her nonexistent relationship with her precious prince Bright, she was now obsessed with the love lives of other people.

"Matchmaker?" Fine repeated incredulously after her twin sister unceremoniously dragged her to her room to explain her new pastime to her.

So now Rein wanted to play cupid with their friends? Right after she realized that her feelings for Bright will never be reciprocated no matter how long or hard she tried? Did that mean she's still bitter over that? Wait, if that's the case then, why would she want to help other people get closer with the person they liked? Why would she even try to do that when she herself wasn't able to get Bright to like her?

"Ugh." Fine said aloud.

Rein gave her a disapproving look.

See, that's why she had no interest in these kinds of stuff. It's confusing. Well, at least for her, it was. This was why she engaged in sports instead. There was no need to think deeply. All she needs to do was to follow what her coach says and have confidence in her skills. And then, there's food. There was not much needed to be said about it other than food is life. Which was why Fine was daydreaming about cake instead of listening to Rein go on and on about her new passion.

Despite her blatant disregard at her sister's monologue, Rein still recruited her for her first 'mission.' Or at least Rein considered her to be participating in it as Fine didn't really contribute much aside from telling the self-proclaimed matchmaker it was a bad idea.

Fine knew she should discourage Rein the moment she learned who her first target- Fine liked to call these people that because you can never be sure how Rein's plans will turn out- was.

Seriously, why on WonderPlanet did she think Chiffon needed her help? Chiffon, prioritizes school over love life like Fine (okay, before Rein could scoff about that, Fine does make food her priority over boys). More importantly, Chiffon was their friend. You don't put your friends in unnerving situations just so they can be with the person they liked without even telling them your _supposedly_ good intentions.

According to Rein, Chiffon apparently liked Toma.

"You know how Chiffon likes all things mysterious? That also applies to her taste."

"She likes…mysterious food? What sort of food is mysterious anyway? Is it like exotic food you wouldn't see anywhere or the ones you weren't sure if they're safe or poisonous… That could be dangerous! What is she thinking-"

"Oh, Fine. I meant taste in men." Rein looked strangely disappointed. She shouldn't be. "You're always thinking about food."

"And you are always thinking about Bright." Oops. That slipped out without warning.

But Rein's only reaction was a smile. "Were. This," she unashamedly pointed at Lemon and Noche who were, for some reason, holding hands. "is all I'm thinking about."

Noche blushed and withdrew his hand upon being caught while Lemon's only reaction was a delighted grin. Rein winked at her. Fine sighed.

The bluenette then started elaborating about what kind of guys Chiffon likes but Fine was only half-listening. She's getting hungry…

"…Chiffon likes mysterious guys. Well, all girls like mysterious guys. You know, those kind of guys who don't open up much even to their friends. You just want to know more about them."

"Like Bright?" She hoped she was right for once. She didn't know much about him because she always tuned out her sister's nonstop lovestruck rants about him. However, she did know something about him that Rein doesn't even know.

Rein chuckled. "I wouldn't put him in that category. He's a prince! You know what I mean, right?"

Fine didn't.

"I am talking about guys of the aloof kind. They are not one to show emotions a lot nor do they do talk about themselves but if you managed to be one of the very few people they open up to, you'll realize that they actually have a big heart. Also-"

Fine glanced at the clock behind them, trying to will it to move faster. Predictably, she failed. "…like Toma! Seriously, the guy's dreamy. Very kind and polite too. He's more than what meets the eye though-"

She wondered if she's also this bad when it comes to food. Speaking of food, why aren't they allowed to eat during class hours?

"Okay, you mean guys like Shade," Fine decided she should interrupt her sister's monologue as soon as possible before she starts blurting out how bored and hungry she is.

"Oh, Shade!" Rein exclaimed, her hands on both sides of her cheeks as she adopted the look Fine is all too familiar with.

Fine gave her the look. The look she gave Rein whenever her crazy fangirl mode reared its ugly head and started freaking people out.

Her cheeks flushing, Rein placed her hands on her lap and gave a sideward glance at… someone. Fine thinks she was looking at Shade. Or Bright. She's not sure. Suddenly, her cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red. Huh.

This is odd. "So what should we do to help Chiffon?" Fine changed the subject.

Back to her usual bubbly self again, she recited the plan like she thought about it for a long, long time.

Fine wanted so badly to back out.

So why didn't she back out then? Two reasons. One, she didn't want to appear more and more like an indifferent sister than she already appears to be to Rein and two, so she can quickly assure Chiffon that they didn't mean to hurt her on the (likely) occasion the plan fails.

After all, Rein's 'brilliant' plan involved keeping distance from their brainy friend for a while so Chiffon will have to seek the company of others, more specifically, Toma. Also…

"Chiffon needs to make new friends. It's like hitting two birds with one stone!" Rein exclaimed with a confidence Fine only hears whenever the bluenette (tries to) convinces her that Bright will fall in love with her… someday.

How can she be sure that Chiffon will approach Toma? It's more likely that she will try hanging out with other people.

"Don't worry! I'm sure the reason why Chiffon doesn't talk to Toma is that she just doesn't want to be teased about it. So when she thinks that we're avoiding her…"

She'll, what, confess to Toma? That's it?

Rein simply smiled like she's Fine's wiser older sister she can count on and told her to just trust her.

Fine's a hundred percent sure the plan won't work.

The plan did work…somehow.

Fine almost ruined the plan after she saw Chiffon looking upset at their sudden distance and not making any move in socializing with others for days. She was about to go to their friend and apologize to her when Rein stopped her and pointed at Toma who seems to be approaching Chiffon. The bluenette was close to squealing when the two started to talk to each other like two people chatting with one another already confirms that they are now an item.

Instead of groaning at her sister's eccentricity like usual, Fine smiled. At least this hobby of hers won't hurt her in the end.

Fine didn't join her sister anymore on whatever she's planning to do next. Fine only cared about Chiffon making a new friend. She's glad she told Rein she didn't want to participate. Turns out her next move is spying on them like the loyal friend she was. And where were Chiffon and Toma often seen together? Of course, none other than the library. Chiffon has finally found the ideal study buddy she's been looking for so long.

Fine didn't feel any guilt in ditching her sister as she's sure Rein understands. She couldn't eat cake in a library after all. She was there though, when she and Rein told Chiffon about the reasons behind their actions. Surprisingly, the petite girl easily forgave them and even thanked them for it.

Chiffon now spent time more with Toma than them. She was also close with Toma's other friends. Fine hoped Rein's other schemes ended in positive outcomes like this and there were no negative feelings on either side.

Lastly, the most pressing question of all: did the two ever become more than friends?

According to Rein, the answer was apparently yes. Her proof of that was seeing the two alone together in the rooftop. She didn't think much about how Rein spotted them there.

A boy and a girl in the rooftop sounds like one of the clichés found in rom-com movies Rein loved to watch. That must be where Rein got such a ridiculous idea.

"But I saw them looking so happy! I just knew it when Toma hugged her!" Was Rein's defense.

"Maybe Chiffon's research was finally approved for publishing." Yes, that is more likely.

It was foolish for Fine to think that this would be the first and last time she'd ever be involved in her sister's crazy matchmaking schemes. However, sisters didn't abandon one another so Fine couldn't afford to be selfish.

* * *

Thankfully. Rein's second target was someone Fine was more than happy to help out: Auler.

Seriously, why hadn't he confessed to her yet? The guy had been smitten with Altessa for years!

The reason why, at least for Rein the love expert, was that he's so insecure with himself. He probably thought that since Altessa's brother is Bright, she must have high expectations towards the guy she wants to be with.

"A push is all Auler really needs." What a simple solution for a guy who's too chicken to admit his feelings to his crush for many years.

"I'll bet my collection of pictures of Bright that Altessa also likes Auler." Did Fine hear what her twin sister just said? "She's just a tsundere."

"What's a tsundere?"

"You don't know? We've been friends with Altessa for years!"

"Huh?"

For Operation MAMA (Make a Move Auler), Rein enlisted the help of Lemon and Auler's sister Sophie.

By the way, Sophie was the one who came up with that acronym. Yeah, she's weird.

Rein brought her phone with her, Sophie her usual carefree smile, Lemon her grin and Fine… herself. They never told Fine what they were planning to do to Auler. Which only means that it must be really awful. Worse than what they-no, Rein- did to Chiffon.

"Don't worry!" Fine was even more worried. "The three of us will handle everything! All you need to do is to watch us!"

Then why did Rein recruit her if she would only be a spectator in this?

Immediately after PE class ended, Rein invited Auler to walk with them to…somewhere. Somewhere meant a place with no people around. A place with only plants and trees as their company.

Auler looked like a group of thugs were about to mug him. It wasn't far from the truth, seemingly. "W-what is it you girls want to talk about?"

His traitorous sister and Rein only gave him an innocent smile. Lemon was nowhere to be found.

What were they planning to do to him? Torture him until he confesses to Altessa? Frighteningly, that seems to be the most likely thing they will do by the look of this situation.

"It's about Altessa." Rein replied. Fine thought it's a signal of sorts.

"A-Altessa?" Geez, the guy was already red at the mere mention of her name. He really was a goner.

As if on cue, Lemon showed up. She sprung up from the bushes behind Auler and pulled… huh? Rein snapped a picture before Fine could process what just happened.

Without delay, the bluenette shoved the camera to her face.

Goodness. They really were planning to torture him.

A picture of Auler and his pink boxers with tiny dogs printed on them was burned into her mind.

"REIN! That's uncalled for!" This was the first time she saw a guy's- wait, this wasn't the time for that, she has to help Auler!

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Fine!" Was Rein's only excuse. "Besides no one saw them but us!"

By now, Auler with his jogging pants up looked like he wanted to hide in the bushes forever. Sophie and Lemon weren't being helpful.

"Brother, it's okay!" Sophie comforted him but it didn't work, especially with her next words, "We won't show it to anyone if you tell Altessa you like her!"

"That's all? You guys blackmailed me just to make me confess to her?" Auler spluttered, aghast. "You could've told me normally!"

"If we did it the normal way, you wouldn't do it at all!" Rein argued.

"The end justifies the means!" Lemon added.

"Which is why we're going to send this picture to Altessa…" Sophie, that sounded so wrong. Auler's her _brother_! Just because Auler is a nice guy doesn't mean they can humiliate him for the heck of it!

"Okay, okay! I'll do it if you delete that picture right now!"

"After you confess to Altessa…"

"I'll never get married at this rate!" Auler cried.

And that dear readers, was how Altessa and Auler got together.

Rein is right. All Auler really needs was a push. A brutal push to be specific.

* * *

Fine already knew her sister's absolutely abnormal. She wondered, was she also that bad when it involves food? Of course not. She didn't blackmail some poor guy to get cake.

Okay, maybe there's that one time where she pressured Bright to give her some of the cookies that Altessa baked (in which the word 'some' is synonymous to 'many' in Fine's vocabulary). The blonde girl, who was pissed off at Fine at that time, had told her brother not to give her even a bit. Despite that though, Bright still handed her a rather big portion despite Altessa's protests. Then again, Bright is the all-around nice guy so that didn't count.

When Fine noticed Rein chatting Fango up, she felt nervous. The purple-eyed boy didn't interact much with other people but Rein was acting all bubbly like they were friends. And did she actually see the boy blush when Rein held his hand?

And when Fine heard Elizabert huff and saw her frown, she immediately felt an urge to drag Rein away from the anti-social boy. Or better yet, forget about her sister and flee from the raven-haired girl's line of sight.

Rein told her about Elizabert's crush on Fango last night. But what was she doing? Did the bluenette like Fango too?

"That girl's got a screw loose." Someone voiced out her thoughts.

"Do you know what Rein is planning, Shade?" Because as far as she knew, Rein was too gaga for Bright in the past years to notice other guys. Unless she had actually moved on like she had thought.

"You don't know?" Shade gave her the disbelieving look she's so familiar with. "Elizabert likes Fango."

"I know that."

"Oh." Now, Fine felt offended. "Well. just watch them."

Sure enough, Elizabert was approaching the couple like a scene from some soap opera. Her loyal lackeys, Carla and Sasha, followed her with anxious faces.

"What are you doing?" She heard Elizabert say.

Rein smiled as she flipped her hair over her shoulder, giving Fine the vibe of an antagonist of some cheesy TV series. You know, the one who steals the protagonist's love interest. "Fango was looking lonely sitting here all by himself so I thought some company might make him smile. Is something wrong?"

"Yes." Fine made a note in her mind to never anger the usually laidback girl.

"Elizabert, she- " Fango began, but Elizabert was apparently not finished yet.

"Because the one who should be sitting by his side is me!"

The two girls behind the dark-haired girl gasped. Rein's smile dropped; Fine thought she was regretting getting close to Fango.

During all this, Fango had his wide purple eyes trained on Elizabert, staring at her like he's never seen her before.

"I think we should stop them." Fine said to Shade, looking at the people watching the confrontation like it was some form of entertainment.

"Don't worry," he replied, oddly interested at the spectacle. "Rein will fix this."

She tried to retort but Shade spoke again, "This won't end in a fight. I'm sure of it."

After a moment, Rein recovered her smile. "Why shouldn't I be? I just want to be his friend."

"I want to be his girlfriend!"

Fine's jaw went slack. "Did she just say what I thought she said?"

"You heard it all right. Rein certainly has guts," Shade answered her, an amused smile in his face.

Rein gasped, looking surprised. Well, tried to. The bluenette already knew about Elizabert's feelings for the brown-haired boy so she can only be acting. If that is the case, could it be that she's making Elizabert jealous on purpose?

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know you like him!" Liar, liar. When the three gang up on you, you're on your own, Rein. "I'll leave the two of you alone now. I'm really sorry!"

With that, Rein ran. She headed toward where Fine and Shade were and dragged them with her without warning.

"Rein, what were you thinking?" Fine scolded her after Rein stopped and released her tight grip on their wrists.

Her sister only panted, still out of breath to answer. That short distance tired her out already? Tomorrow morning, Fine will force her to jog with her.

Or maybe deliberately taking on Elizabert's ire was the reason why she's breathing like she just finished a marathon.

"I did it," Rein muttered. "I did it, I did it-"

Fine turned to Shade, who just shook his head. "Rein, you oka-"

"I DID IT!" The blue-haired lunatic cried out, jumping gleefully like a child in a candy store. Her sister then grabbed her shoulders and started shaking her vigorously. "Oh Fine, I thought Elizabert's going to tear me apart!"

At that, Shade snorted, and Rein was reminded of the other person she dragged.

"Shade, are you making fun of me?" Rein looked at him in mock hurt. "I risked myself for love!"

Fine slapped her forehead.

Shade covered his mouth with his hand, coughing repeatedly and making Fine worry.

"There's no need to cover your mouth, Shade! You look better laughing than poker-faced!"

That was a laugh? He looked like he was suffering from an asthma attack. Then again, there were even weirder laughs than his.

The guy caught Fine staring and self-consciously withdrew his hand from his mouth, his face set in his usual unruffled expression again. However, his lips were twitching like he's trying hard not to smile.

Now that she thought about this, this was the first time she heard Shade laugh. To think that Rein was the one to draw a laugh out of him…

"Is that so?" There was a warm lilt in Shade's tone. "But why is it when you're the one laughing, people suddenly distance themselves away from you?"

Fine gazed at the two of them. She felt like she was…something. What was it again? Something like a wheel? But why would she compare herself to a wheel?

"I-I'm gonna-" she muttered, feeling awkward. She didn't know why but she had a sudden urge to leave the two alone. "I'm gonna go back and see what Fango and Elizabert are doing now."

Rein nodded cheerfully. "Thanks Fine! I don't think I should show up near Elizabert right now."

"Obviously," Fine and Shade agreed in unison.

Fine gave a quick glance at Shade before she left them. There was a fond smile on his face as he looked at Rein.

Fine was thinking of discussing it with someone. She'll forget it when her stomach rumbles though. Maybe she should write it on one of her notebooks? Nah, she was feeling quite lazy.

* * *

Fine surreptitiously peeked at them from behind Bright's back even though she's sure the two people she's spying at were too absorbed in their conversation to notice anything.

"Um, Fine?" Bright turned to her, confused.

"It's just my sister…" Fine tried to explain, her fingers scratching her head.

"Rein seems more animated than usual and that is saying something. Do you know what could be behind it?"

"She thought it was her duty to get people together," she said, her eyes narrowing once she identified what the two were poring over. Was that one of Rein's teenage magazines? "Once she knows a person pining over someone, she'll devise a plan that somehow works no matter how crazy it was."

"Wow. That's so sweet of her."

Fine almost gagged. Bright should see the faces of the people she tried to set up when her plans were in motion. But knowing Bright, he'd just say that it was the thought that counts.

"That girl she's talking with, she's a friend of yours, right?"

"Yeah."

"Does she like someone?"

"I'm not sure," Fine lied. Rein would only approach Calorie if it was for something boy-related. Calorie was so much like Fine she felt betrayed when she saw her gushing over something that contained information on girly things like make-up and clothes. Did Rein cast some spell on the tomboyish girl?

No, Rein doesn't possess magic. But this…ability of hers could be considered as one. It didn't work on her own sister though.

* * *

"You're really going to buy one of these things?" Fine asked while they browsed through dresses of assorted colors and styles.

"Well, I was always wearing shirts so if I wear a dress for a change, maybe he'll finally notice me," was Calorie's answer, acting exactly like any teenaged girl with a crush (blushing and lots of fidgeting).

"What did Rein do to you?" She tried to conceal the horror in her voice. Tried.

"Now, you're stereotyping, Fine," Rein admonished as she scrutinized a pink dress that Fine, who is not partial to dresses unlike her sister, can only describe as too girly. "Just because she is what people call tomboyish doesn't mean she can only wear shorts and pants for the rest of her life."

"Just who is this Taurine guy anyway?" She must really like him if she was willing to wear something she deemed very uncomfortable to wear. Call her a hypocrite but she had to laugh at his name. Why would someone name their child after an energy drink ingredient? Come to think of it, almost everyone she knew had weird and unusual names.

"It's Tauri. We were friends ever since we were little."

"How are you going to confess to him?" Let's see what devious plan Rein has in mind.

"Rein suggested making a bracelet for him. Actually, I've already finished it."

"A bracelet?" Fine repeated incredulously, staring at the item on her friend's hand. There was only one word to describe it: cute. Calorie didn't wear any accessory barring wristbands nor did she have any interest on them yet here she was, doing all sorts of girly things. So this was what having a crush can do to you, huh?

Or maybe Rein had brainwashed her.

"Is it good enough?" Calorie's uncharacteristically timid voice cut off her thoughts before they could conjure up images of various evil deeds Rein might have done to Calorie to get her to join the girly side.

"It's cute," Fine replied, smiling reassuringly at her. "When will you give it to him?"

"Next Saturday."

* * *

Next Saturday, Fine ran to their meeting place half an hour late. And too late to do anything.

Sitting on a bench and crying is Calorie in that too girly pink dress. Beside her was Rein who was rubbing her back.

After hearing the story about a guy getting weirded out by the drastic change of his childhood friend and destroying the bracelet after stretching it as if the moron thought the thing was a rubberband, Fine took off and helped her friend in the only she way she can.

She knew she shouldn't put too much blame on the Taurine guy. Calorie should have done things more slowly. The guy was probably shocked to see someone he thought to be one of the boys wearing feminine clothing all of a sudden. They should've let him adjust to it first before Calorie told him her feelings for him.

It's definitely Rein's fault. She was always rushing into things, wanting to make them happen immediately. She failed this time. But Fine is not going to let this day end with her friend in tears.

The sound of a ball bouncing closer to her brought her out of her deep thoughts. She looked down and saw a soccer ball near her feet.

"Hey!" A spiky-haired boy called out a good distance away. He was without a doubt, Tauri, but he acted like he didn't just make his friend cry recently. "Mind throwing it back to us?"

Picking up the ball, a grin that will indisputably prove to everyone that she and Rein are truly twins spread across her face. She ran towards him and threw the ball before Tauri lifted his arms. She threw it towards him with all the boiling anger she was currently feeling at the jerk.

Before he lifted his arms to protect his face.

* * *

"Ouch," Shade deadpanned.

"The guy cried like a baby," Fine added with a laugh. "I wish Calorie was there to see it!"

"She wouldn't want to. He's the one she likes, right?"

"Yeah. Even after he destroyed something she put all her heart in making, she still liked him," she said, still feeling bummed out about it. She took a large swig of her milkshake to counter the negative feeling.

"You'll understand her when you fall in love with something that is not made of loads of sugar," Shade chided her but he was not looking at her. Fine followed his gaze and found Bright looking at them while waiting for his turn to order in the cafe. He was not smiling like usual.

"You mean boys?" Fine asked, her eyes still on Bright, who finally looked away.

"Yes, you dense idiot."

Unlike usual, Fine didn't rise to his bait. Instead, she wondered why Bright was frowning at them. She didn't do anything bad to him earlier, right? It must be Shade he's upset at.

"Why are you asking about the crazy things my sister has been doing anyway?"

"It's just weird to see Rein no longer gushing about Bright. For a moment, I thought she was in love."

Fine snorted. "In love? Why would you think that?"

"She was -what do you girls call it?- blooming. Usually, when a person constantly looks like that, you're gonna assume they're in love with someone who has mutual feelings for them."

"She's not in love. She just loves thinking up matchmaking schemes."

Shade leaned against his chair and cupped his chin, seemingly thinking hard about something.

She didn't know why but an image of Shade and Rein teasing each other suddenly barged in her mind. They looked…

They looked very happy.

Does Rein also look that happy when she's laughing with Fine? She doubted it.

* * *

Hey, I'm back.

Thought I'm not gonna update this anymore? Sorry for the veeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long wait. We all know what school can do to you. Thank goodness vacation has arrived for me. And I'm so excited to write as many fics as I can before it's over!

After almost a year of learning more about writing, I have decided to rewrite the story. The next chapters are still the old ones, with just some edits.


	2. Chapter 2: Developing

Disclaimer: FBNFH belongs to its rightful owners

Jo710: You know, I have a childhood dream of being a best-selling writer someday so reading your comments about my writing makes me feel simply happy so thank you! Yeah, I really love Fine. She's not actually as dense as I first thought and that's what I liked about her. And oh, broships! Aside from the pairings of the anime, I'm also in love with the friendships between the characters. Now that you mentioned it, I liked Fine and Rein's friendships with Shade and Bright respectively. I had some ideas about a fic revolving around them as friends only...

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Developing**

"They look so cute together."

Fine kept on munching on the potato chips she was eating and made sure to be as loud as possible in doing it.

How many times did she hear that sentence again? Having a polar opposite of a twin sister was so _annoying._

"I love their height difference. Chiffon's a bit younger than Toma so she'll grow some more but maybe not that much." Rein kept on talking as if her only companion in the room didn't make it awfully clear she had no intention in listening. Suddenly, she turned her swivel chair so that she was facing her twin.

The red-headed twin lifted her gaze to the ceiling, thinking. Sure, she loved Rein and she will undoubtedly be lost without her soothing presence at her side but there were also instances where she just wanted to avoid her like the plague. Especially the times where the bluenette would intrude into Fine's room and gush on all the uploaded pictures of their friends and their significant other in Facebook. _To no one._

Well, she might be talking to Fine but she must know that her red-headed twin sister has no interest in the daily updates of the couples in their school.

"I still can't believe all of this went well, you know?" As she was saying this, Rein leaned forward and Fine's eyes narrowed, already knowing what the bluenette was going to do. "I guess this just means that-" Fine snatched her bag of potato chips out of her sister's reach like the selfish child she knew she was over food.

Rein, who should already know not to take food belonging to her gluttonous sister, only smiled and continued, "They're meant to be together!"

Unamused, Fine only sighed.

"Oh, Fine, why must you always be sulky? Aren't you happy for Chiffon and Toma?"

The redhead sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. "Of course, I am. I just don't like the methods you used to get Chiffon close to Toma."

"I admit I felt guilty too," Rein confessed, "but all matchmakers follow one principle: the end justifies the means."

"That's it? That's all you're gonna say to defend yourself?" Fine replied, miffed. "Chiffon actually thought we didn't want to be friends with her anymore! What good friends we'd been for her!"

"And you still remember how happy she looked when she had Toma for company instead," Rein reasoned calmly in spite of the blatant irritation in the redhead's face. "That is the magic of matchmaking."

"Not everything went well. You're lucky they didn't bear grudges against you." Yes, Rein and in principle, Fine, were both lucky those poor people didn't hate them due to Rein's unethical plans. Especially Elizabert. Fine was still jumpy whenever the said girl was nearby but she hadn't done anything. _Yet._

"Don't worry, Fine. They know we only had good intentions for them."

"Tell that to Auler."

"Oh, Fine." Rein chuckled. "He already knows that since the beginning."

"You're not scared of Elizabert?"

"Nope. She knows I don't have feelings for Fango. You're just being a worrywart."

"I still don't trust that Taurine guy."

"It's Tauri, Fine. Tauri." Rein corrected. "After what you did to him, that guy's probably too scared to try anything funny to your friend."

Despite these reassurances, Fine couldn't help but conjure up images of Chiffon's lonely look, Auler's mortified face, Elizabert's furious expression and Calorie's tear-stained face.

"Hmmm...," Rein began, pointing her index finger to her chin. "Why is Fine in quite a bad mood?"

Suddenly, her twin sister's face lit up.

 _What now?_ Fine thought with alarm. She knew what that look meant. And she's in no mood to entertain the cyan-haired girl's crazy ideas.

"I know!" The bluenette exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "Maybe my twin sister just needs a _boyfriend!_ "

"What!" At the word 'boyfriend,' Fine abruptly stood up. "Where did you get that idea? And I don't want a boyfriend!"

"I said _need_ not want." Rein riposted. "You have no boyfriend since _birth_ , Fine. Maybe having one will make you happier."

"You're one to talk."

For a moment, the bluenette looked at a loss for words. But moments later, she recovered and said, "Well...I'm busy."

Fine blinked. She did not like that tone. She did not sound like her twin sister at all.

It seemed like Rein, despite all her passion for anything related to romance, did not give much thought on having a boyfriend herself. What happened to all her fantasies about her wedding with Bright?

Fine shook her head. No, that just doesn't sound right.

"Have you...," she said, curiosity getting the better of her, "confessed to the guy that you liked?"

"What!" This time, it was Rein's turn to shout and stand. It was times like this that let Fine know that they really are twins. "I don't like anyone..."

Carmine eyes narrowed. Now that she had heard it twice, it strangely reminded her of...herself.

"Come on!" She insisted, the smiling face of a certain indigo-haired boy popping in her mind. "I know you like-"

But before she could say his name, a pop song from a boy band she doesn't know cut her off as if it decided that now is the perfect moment to interrupt their conversation.

"It's Auler...again," Rein told her, eyebrows furrowed. "See you later!"

She gave her a wave before she exited her room.

Now alone, Fine collapsed on her bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "We really are twins, Rein. We are so much alike..."

* * *

"This is about Altessa and you not being the guy she deserves, right?" Rein said as she headed to her own room, not even bothering to say hello.

"B-But this is my first date with Altessa. I-I still can't believe she said yes. I mean, what's so special about me? I'm no Bright or Shade. I'm just Auler, the guy girls don't notice-"

"Whoa, stop rambling, Auler!" she interrupted, shaking her head at her friend's antics. "Believe me when I say that Altessa likes you too."

"But Rein-"

"But Auler," Rein cut him off, pulling out a chair from her desk to sit on it."Why are you still so nervous? Do I need to tell you that I still have _that_ picture?"

"Damn you Rein! You said you would delete it after I confessed to her!"

"Did I say that?" She replied in the most innocent tone possible. Already knowing she wasn't fooling anyone, she went on, "Well, I knew you would start acting silly again one day so I still kept it. Besides, why are you so embarrassed about it? Altessa will be seeing them in the future anyway. And not in a picture of course."

 _"REIN!"_

Oh, if only she were there to take a photo of his face which was definitely as red as her sister's hair by now. Knowing the guy's self-esteem or lack thereof, she needs more blackmail material.

"Calm your nerves, Auler. If Altessa didn't actually like you, she would have rejected you then. You know her more than I do, right?"

"R-Right."

"So go to your Altessa. Don't give her more reasons to whack you."

There was silence in the other line for a bit.

"So, what should I do now?"

Rein pinched the bridge of her nose. Was this guy for real?

"I think you already know, Auler. You don't really need my help anymore. But," she trailed off, her lips curving to form a grin. "You will tell me all the details tomorrow. Bye."

What an insecure guy... But a sweet one nonetheless. Altessa must feel so lucky having a guy head over heels in love with her.

"How must it really feel to finally find that someone?" Rein wondered aloud, feeling a twinge of melancholy at the thought. "I guess I'd need to love someone to find out."

* * *

The next day, Rein welcomed a new day of school with a spring in her step. After all, there is a certain someone who will provide her the answers to the questions that kept her up all night. So while walking to her classroom, she kept her eyes alert for a certain boy with viridian hair. She was dying to know how his date with Altessa went. Was Auler still the stuttering and insecure mess she talked to that night? She hoped he gained some confidence while preparing himself for the event.

She couldn't control the wide grin from appearing in her face. She just couldn't help it; there were so many things she wanted to ask! Did they held hands? Did they kiss?

She resorted to covering her mouth with her hand. Who knows what people might think if they saw her grinning to no one.

The bluenette almost jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned around, expecting to see Auler only to be disappointed when she saw Shade instead.

Only for the disappointment to swiftly vanish since it was _Shade._

"You almost scared me there, Shade."

"Where's Fine?" He asked, the ever straightforward guy.

 _You didn't even bother to say hi?_ She pouted in her mind. "She went ahead of me. Practically ran to her classroom because the look in my face is apparently creeping her out."

"What were you thinking right now?" The tone in his voice is genuinely curious.

Rein smiled mischievously. "You."

Shade's lips twitched upwards. Rein would call it a smile though others might disagree. He doesn't give smiles often so she had to give herself credit for making the indigo-haired boy smile. "Don't flatter me, idiot. What must you be thinking that got you looking so _creepy_ your twin fled from you?"

The wording made her giggle. "Well, I was just thinking about Auler's date with Altessa. It must have been so romantic!"

Shade snorted. "With that look, I don't blame your sister for running away."

"Hey, I'm not that scary!" She complained, lightly slapping his arm.

Wait, Shade's still single, right?

"Speaking of dates, is there a girl you wanted to ask out?" Rein inquired, changing the subject.

"No," was Shade's quick response. "Why did you ask?"

"Nothing. Just curious." She looked away from him to search for a head of deep green hair among the sea of students. "I know a lot of guys who liked a girl but were too shy to make a move. Who knew they only needed a little push from a friend to take action?"

"You mean their matchmaker friend?"

"Yeah," she affirmed. "I thought maybe you need my help."

"No thanks," he said with a huff. Her heart leaped when his blue eyes met her sea green ones. "I prefer to get the attention of the girl I like in my own way."

If Rein was the typical shy high school girl, she would be gaping at the intensity in his eyes. It still took her a while to find a proper response, though."That's so...you."

 _Those eyes are so intense..._ She thought, turning away. _Must look for a distraction._

She thanked whatever deities watching above when she saw the perfect 'distraction' which came in the form of the person she has been looking for the entire morning.

"Hey, Auler!" Rein eagerly called out, running up to him.

"R-Rein?" Auler stuttered. Was it just her or was he suddenly quickening his pace?

"You owe me a story!"

"Give me a minute!"

"Cut him some slack, Rein. You're scaring him," Shade chided her.

* * *

Before heading to her first class for the day, she went to the comfort room to check herself in the mirror to see if she actually looked scary while she was fantasizing. Ignoring the weird looks the other girls in the room threw at her, she decided that there's nothing creepy at all in her expression. Since when is a daydreaming look scary? Then again, a lot of things scare Fine and some of them are deemed not scary enough in Rein's opinion.

Fast forward to lunch time, which found Rein still alone and abandoned as she joined the long line of students buying their food in the cafeteria by her twin sister who seemed intent on avoiding her the entire day.

While waiting for her turn to purchase her lunch, she entertained herself by recalling Auler's retelling of his first date with Altessa.

She tried in vain to hide a smile when she came to the part where Auler described his girlfriend's appearance.

"Is this Rein?" Asked a very familiar voice behind her.

"Bright!" She exclaimed as she turned around.

 _Two hot guys in one day? I can't believe it!_ She squealed in her mind.

"Wait, where's Fine?" He asked her, giving her an feeling of deja vu.

Rein tried to banish the sudden pang of jealousy in her chest. Tried. It's hard to let go of first loves after all. Especially ones that lasted for years and didn't become successful because the guy she liked was in love with her _sister_ of all people.

"Hanging out with her friends from the volleyball club, I think," Rein replied in a surprisingly neutral tone while fishing out her purse from her pocket. She almost gasped when she looked up.

Bright had leaned closer to her. Probably to hear what she's saying with the noisy atmosphere inside the cafeteria. Their faces were so close she hoped she was not blushing madly. Staring at his face up close gave her a good view of his features from his lips that were curved upwards to form his trademark smile that never failed to make her weak in the knees whenever it was directed to her to those captivating ruby eyes that she wanted to look at the whole day.

 _Get a hold of yourself, Rein. You said you've moved on, right?_

"Rein?"

"W-What is it?" She stammered, avoiding his eyes.

"It's your turn."

Hours seemed to pass before her brain processed his words.

"Oh, oh!" She resisted the urge to kick herself as she whirled around to sputter out her order.

Prince Charming - er, Bright - chuckled.

 _No, no, don't record it in your mind-_

Too bad she just had it memorized.

Once she received her food, she stepped out of the line and waited for Bright to get his. She felt her cheeks burn when he flashed her a smile after he paid for his lunch.

"Rein, may I ask you a favor?" He asked while they searched for an empty table.

"Anything for you, Bright!" Darn it, she sounded so eager it was painful.

Thankfully, the blond didn't seem to give it much thought. "Can you tell me if Fine likes me too?"

Rein froze.

 _Idiot._ She's already aware that he's in love with Fine. Why was she still hoping even up to this moment?

"I...," she began, her eyes suddenly finding the floor more interesting than Bright's gorgeous face.

"Please be honest to me. I really want to know."

"She doesn't," Rein finally answered as she mustered her courage to look up at him. "That girl's so dense, you know?"

He smiled, encouraging her to elaborate.

"But I bet Bright can make her fall in love with him in due time," she reassured him, trying hard to sound upbeat to hide the pain in her chest.

"Oh? What makes you so sure of that?" He challenged her as they resumed walking.

"Well, you've got help from her twin sister who knows her best."

His ruby eyes gazed into her sea green ones. "Thank you, but I don't think I am ready to tell her how I feel about her yet."

She blinked, wondering if she heard it right. "Eh? Why-"

"There you are, big brother!" A snippy voice intruded before a yellow and orange blur dragged Bright away without warning. "Those idiots won't stop harassing me!"

"Altessa, wait!" However, the blond girl ignored her cries.

"See you later!" Bright called out before they disappeared from Rein's sight.

"Bye...," Rein couldn't control the pout from appearing in her face. "And here I thought I'd be having a lunch date with him..."

"Rein?" Said a girl sitting on a table near the blunette.

"Gah!" She blurted out, her face heating up again after realizing what just came out of her mouth.

Luckily, it was only Mirlo, the kindest girl in the school who heard what she said. She hoped she wouldn't get the wrong idea. Well, at least she knew she wouldn't share it to others. "I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's alright!" Eyeing the vacant chair in front of the brunette, Rein asked, "Do you mind if I eat lunch with you?"

Mirlo shook her head. The bluenette muttered a quick 'thanks' before sitting on the chair and opening her lunch box.

"Fine ditched me today," she explained before the other girl could articulate the question that was no doubt forming in her mind.

"It feels weird seeing you without her."

"Yeah, we get that a lot."

There was silence as the two ate their lunches. Which soon felt awkward when Mirlo's purple eyes roamed around the cafeteria.

"Are you looking for someone?" Rein inquired curiously.

"N-No!" Mirlo squeaked, blushing for some reason. "A-Actually, I-I just..."

"Spit it out, girl. I don't bite."

"IhaveacrushonShade," she whispered, her head bowed low. "A-And, I wondering if you could help me..."

Rein dropped her spoon. Mirlo and Shade? She hadn't expected that.

"F-Forget it!"

"Wait!" The bluenette slammed her palm on the table, startling the brunette. "You like-mph!"

"You're the first one to know that!" Mirlo said with panic in her voice, her hand covering Rein's mouth before the other girl could announce it to the cafeteria. Her eyes widening as if realizing her action, she withdrew it immediately. "I'm sorry!"

"Oh my gosh!" Rein rested her elbows on the table, her lunch forgotten. "I think you two would look so cuuuute together!"

"Rein, we're still eating!" The poor girl was blushing profusely by now.

"I bet you're too shy to talk to him, right? Don't you worry, you have support from a girl experienced in love!" But never dated anyone.

This made Mirlo smile shyly. "I really appreciate it, but you're embarrassing me."

Rein laughed. "I knew you're not that shy."

The brunette resumed eating, ending the conversation. Taking pity on her, Rein did so as well. But before that, she wanted to make it clear.

"But seriously, I will do my best to help."

"Thank you."

 _Ugh._ So two handsome guys are now off-limits in just one day.

Was she feeling dismayed at that? Strange. They were both her friends anyway. _She had no right._

Then again, those guys are Shade and Bright. A lot of girls had been falling for them. It's hard not to.

And Rein's like any ordinary girl anyway.


	3. Chapter 3: Frustrated

Disclaimer: FBNFH belongs to its rightful owners

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Frustrated**

Rein was an eccentric girl.

One didn't need to know her for a long time to realize that she's not the typical girl you encounter in school. It certainly helped that she didn't seem to have any concern on what others around her think. She also didn't have any qualms in letting her many peculiarities show to people she just met.

Shade often had to stifle his laugh whenever he saw Rein weird people out with her behavior. It happened so frequently that he developed a notion that entertainment was bound to follow whenever the bluenette was around.

Although her quirks never failed to make his days in the school more interesting, he sometimes wished that Rein would act like a normal girl. Dealing with her antics can get tiring especially for Shade, her _seatmate._

Right now, the girl had put on a serious expression that Shade came to associate whenever she was plotting something big while doodling on her notebook. Without shame, he took a peek on it. She won't notice him looking anyway, as she tends to forget her surroundings whenever she had this particular look in her face.

Shade resisted the urge to laugh.

With the amount of concentration she seemed to pour into her work, one might think she was creating a work of art. But then again, not all people were blessed with artistic skills.

Unsurprisingly, she had drawn a boy and a girl. The girl's hair, which barely reached her shoulders, was not colored yet, but a blue pen was used for the boy's spiky hair. The girl's arms were stretched toward the boy, as if about to give something to him but Rein hadn't drawn whatever it is yet.

All in all, what Shade could only say about the drawing was that it-

"Looks like one of Milky's drawings to be honest."

 _"Gyah!_ " Rein shrieked, and the whole class turned their attention on them. But once they found who the source of the sudden noise is, they immediately went back to whatever they were doing. Her shouts were a daily occurrence after all.

Slamming her notebook shut, she glared at him with a red face. "Haven't you ever heard of giving some privacy to your seatmates?"

"She is giving him a love letter, isn't she? So cliché," came his unaffected response, completely ignoring her question.

"You jerk!" Rein bit out, her voice taking on a higher pitch than usual at the last word. "Of course not! The brilliant matchmaker Rein doesn't settle for overused ideas!"

"So you've found another potential OTP, huh?" He asked her with barely concealed curiosity, his eyebrows raised. "What does OTP mean anyway?"

"It means _One True Pairing,_ Shade. How many times do I have to remind you that?" She clucked her tongue at him in disappointment. "With the school dance coming up in just a few days, it will be sooo much fun to see new couples having their first dances."

He nodded at her, sensing an incoming never-ending monologue.

"Oh my gosh! I can already picture it in my mind!" She gushed, both of her hands rubbing her cheeks furiously as if she couldn't reign in her emotions any longer. "Super cute couples making googly eyes at each other as they danced all night with the orchestra playing the most romantic music I have ever heard in the background..."

He jumped in his seat when the bluenette suddenly pounded her palms on her desk while giggling to herself.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Fine shoot him a sympathetic look over her shoulder. As a reply, he gave her what he hoped to be a knowing smile. He felt pity for the girl unfortunate enough to be Rein's twin.

"Rein?" he said as he patted her shoulder. He, like everyone else, didn't want people looking at them strangely. "Can I ask you something?"

And just like that, the girl's back to her more rational self. In a matter of seconds, her silly smile was replaced by a grin. Shade couldn't, for the life of him, understand how she managed to switch moods quickly. Maybe it's a girl thing. "Yes, you can but you may not."

His lips twitched but they soon gave in and formed a smile. What was it about this girl that never failed to draw such reactions from him? No other girl had ever made him feel this way ever.

"Ha ha ha" he uttered humorlessly. "So you actually listen to what the teachers say? What a surprise. I've always thought you're daydreaming about Bright the entire school day."

"Hey!" Rein retorted, her cheeks turning red again. "I do not daydream for a whole day. I'll be admitted to a mental institution if I did!"

Mental institution, huh? Shade could already imagine her parents sending her there. Any friend of hers must have probably thought the same thing.

"What is it you want to ask me anyway?" She prodded impatiently.

"Well...," he began.

"Well?" She asked when his lips refused to move for some reason.

He licked his dry lips. Was he actually feeling nervous for _this?_ "Since you're excited for the dance which will happen in just a few weeks-"

"It's only a few days away, not weeks."

"Okay, days."

"Wait, what's your question again?"

Shade pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned against his chair. "Who...uh…"

"What is it, Shade?"

Damn it. It's just a normal question. Why was he feeling so reluctant to spit it out of his mouth?

He shook his head. It's now or never, he decided. "Who are you going with in the dance?"

She shrugged. "Myself."

That can't be true. She must've already asked Bright. Knowing that goody-goody, he would have given in to her request easily. If she didn't really liked him, there are many other boys she can ask... "You still don't have anyone in mind?"

 _Not even me?_ Shade tried to ignore that abrupt thought before it would branch out into something he would not like to consider. Well, if you were single, you would ask a friend who belongs in the opposite sex, right?

"No. I think I'll sit and enjoy eating the food there."

He tilted his head. "Since when did you and your sister switch hair colors, Fine?"

"Huh?" She looked at him like sparkles reminiscent of a shoujo anime abruptly appeared around him. "Why would you...-hey!" She frowned. "I mean, I was planning to watch our classmates dance. Maybe take pictures…"

He placed his elbow on his desk and rested one side of his face on one hand. "That's hypocritical of you, being a matchmaker and all."

Rein narrowed her eyes. "Why am I being a hypocrite, Shade?"

She still didn't get it? "How would you expect people to confess to whoever they like when you yourself haven't done that either?"

"I don't like anyone." She's lying. He's sure of it.

He sighed. "I'm just curious, Rein." He told her flatly. "According to Fine, you're 'boycrazy.' And then, there's your, ahem, crush on Bright."

The green-eyed girl sent a frown towards Fine, who was, for some reason, watching them converse. Upon being caught, she instantly looked away.

Rein fiddled with the pens on her desk. "I have high standards?"

Even Bright didn't meet your standards now? "I have never heard you sound surer than that before," was his sardonic comment.

She pursed her lips, vexed. "It's just... I don't think of those kinds of things anymore. Helping someone find the right person for them is much more fun than finding the one for you, okay?"

"So that's why you like matchmaking?"

"Yup."

Their conversation ended when their teacher entered the room. He stared at Rein who seemed to be in a deep thought as she watched their art teacher take out a small box filled with slips of paper.

After their teacher announced their activity for the period, a pen suddenly fell from someone's desk and rolled in front of his. More specifically, Rein's pen.

"Shade, can you retrieve it for me?" The cyan-haired girl asked him in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Shade frowned. The innocent smile Rein wore told him that she didn't drop it accidentally. He still left the slip on his desk and bent down to pick it up, though.

"Thanks!" Rein said to him as he gave it back to her.

He glanced suspiciously at Rein as he unrolled the slip.

 _Mirlo_ , it said.

"Rein, who's your partner?" He asked as a disturbing thought developed in his mind.

"Altessa." The scheming girl was still smiling even though she was partnered with _Altessa._ Who wants to be paired with Altessa besides Auler?

Perhaps they now get along since Rein is the one who brought her and Auler together? But then again, no one, let alone lazy and carefree Rein, wants to work with that bossy girl...

Shade's mind went back to Rein's drawing.

The girl's short hair. The boy's blue hair.

He then weighed in Rein's odd behavior.

She didn't switch their papers while he retrieved her pen, did she? Because if it is, her motivation would be...

Then, he should feel offended at her drawing.

On a more serious note...

Him? With Mirlo? Not that he disliked the brunette. He actually liked her quiet attitude, which is a complete contrast to Rein's. Sometimes, he wished for the bluenette to close her mouth for once to give him some peace and quiet. However, he and Mirlo never talked to each other. Not even once. What was Rein thinking?

Still, he had to thank Rein for sacrificing her own comfort to make her matchmaking schemes work. There would surely be awkwardness but he would much rather have that than being paired with Altessa in an activity any day.

And didn't he mention that Mirlo is an artist? Another plus. She could make Rein's drawing and _his_ look like thrash. Art class would be so much easier with her as a partner.

"Good luck, Rein. You'll need it," Shade told her before he stood up and headed to where Mirlo was seated.

"Hey," he greeted the sandy-haired girl, trying to act as casual as possible.

"Y-You're my partner?" Mirlo stuttered, sounding both delighted and disbelieving at the same time.

"Yes. And I'm very lucky," he blurted out, and then wished he could take those words back. Of course, he was referring to her more superior artistic skills but if these girl had a crush on him and enlisted Rein's help, he didn't want to lead her on.

She blushed. "Please don't expect too much. I'm not really that good at arts."

He had to laugh at that. "Are you kidding me? You are, like, the most talented artist in the class!"

"N-No, Pastel is far better than me."

Shade shook his head with a small smile. After all the noise the twins constantly managed to create everywhere, Mirlo's like a breath of fresh air. Maybe he just needed to get away from Rein's craziness for a while. Maybe that's what he needed at the moment.

* * *

She needed more than luck, Rein realized. No, scratch that. They were doomed from the start.

"Hmph! So what if we don't share any similarities?" Not a minute had passed yet Altessa was already complaining. "What are we going to draw then?"

"Don't worry, we both love jewelry," Rein said in an attempt to placate the other girl.

"That's good!" Emerald eyes brightened. "Then let's move on to more important matters!"

The bluenette gaped at her like an idiot. "There's something more important than this?"

The blond rolled her eyes, wearing the expression of someone hounded by the dumb questions of her younger sibling. "Your love life."

Rein willed her brain to concentrate but there's no use. He couldn't find any possible reason why Altessa would suddenly bring that up.

Seriously? In the middle of class?

"I owe you a favor for pushing that stupid Auler to finally make a move. Since I hate owing people something, I'm going to help you out in return," she went on with a determined look but her eyes avoided the sea-green eyes of the other girl to stare at the window to her left. "And it's quite a coincidence that I happen to be the right person you'll need for you to be with the one you're pining for for years."

That was all she needed for her mind to keep up with Altessa. But it brought to life another question: why?

"Because I believe that you're the one my brother needed," she replied, making Rein realize she asked it aloud. "You're not just another one of his brainless fan girls. You truly care for him. I learned that once I got to know you better."

Those were the words she had wanted to hear for so long. And it's his _sister_ who said them.

Perhaps before, she was attracted to Bright because of his looks. It's hard not to, when she's still young and fond of fairy tales about princes and true love. He also had the personality to match, so no one can stop her from having a huge crush on him. But before, it was just an admiration.

What is it now? After she grew up and learned more about how love and relationships really went, what can she call this now?

The beat of her heart and the rush of hope in her chest answered her own question.

She is still genuinely in love with him.

 _But he's in love with Fine._ She told herself.

 _And you know that Fine doesn't like him back._ An optimistic part of her shot back. _Truthfully, you still have a chance._

"Rein, are you alright?" Altessa's concerned voice brought her back to the real world.

"I think I'm getting crazy," was her only response as she attempted to sort out her thoughts.

 _And Altessa, his sister, is willing to lend a hand._

It was in times like this that convinced Rein that perhaps she really needed to arrange an appointment with a psychologist. Contrary to what _some_ people may think, she's already aware that there are people who think she's crazy.

"Oh, Altessa, why did you have to bring this up?" Rein burst out. "I've already accepted that Bright will never like me back. But then, you spring this on me and now, I don't know what I should feel anymore..."

Before she can bring herself to see Altessa's reaction, their teacher interrupted their conversation, "Hey, you two, what time will you start working?"

Like guilty kids caught playing instead of doing homework, the two straightened in their seats and frantically took out a paper and pencil.

"What are we going to draw again?"

"What we have in common, right?" was Altessa's panicked answer as she glanced at her watch.

"W-What are you drawing?"

"Jewelry, dummy! Do you have eyes?"

With the way she watched Altessa draw, one would think she was watching a horror movie. If Shade thought her drawing looked like it was made by a kid, what would he call Altessa's?

"But we're not in elementary!" She wailed.

"Shut up!" The blond bickered, her cheeks aflame in embarrassment. "Did you know what time is it now?"

"There's still some time left- WHOA!"

* * *

"You're going to be the one to present that in front of everyone."

"What? No way!"

Altessa glared at her, her emerald eyes sending shivers to Rein's spine. "I am the one who did the labor. You're not going to put all the work on me, are you?"

"Okay, okay! I'll do it!"

"Why did we waste time talking about your love life again?" The blond huffed, her tone accusing.

"Um, you're the one who brought it up, did you remember?"

"S-Shut up!"

Letting out a tired sigh, she directed her attention to the student in the front. Her face instantly lit up when she saw who it was. "Oooh, it's Shade!"

Altessa looked at her oddly. "You have a crush on Shade now?"

Rein threw her a are-you-kidding-me? look. "Of course not! His partner's _Mirlo!_ "

As expected, their work could make the two green with envy.

If Rein was younger, she would have swooned at the gentle smile on Shade's face. He doesn't smile often so seeing one is saying something.

They must have hit it off then!

"Mirlo and I are very close to our younger siblings," Shade began, looking fondly at Mirlo's impressive illustration of Narlo and Milky. "Both of our parents are often away from work and they are only toddlers so we made it our responsibility to look after them. Milky, my little sister, is very precious to me, and I'm sure Mirlo's little brother is that important to her as well."

 _Oh my gosh! He's looking at her! I'm so happy I could burst!_

Being a dedicated matchmaker, she was able to detect the blush on Mirlo's face even if the brunette was seated two rows behind her.

"Now that I thought about it, they have a lot of things in common!" She gushed to Altessa, who looked like she would rather throw away her precious jewelry than have a conversation with her. "Shy girl, quiet guy... Both protective of their younger siblings. I knew they were just meant to be!"

Altessa wrinkled her nose at her. "So just having a few similarities entails them being together?"

"No. But those are the ones that usually bring people much closer to each other."

"Altessa and Rein, it's your turn in front."

Rein blanched. Was she actually going in front to show off Altessa's atrocious drawing?

"Come on, Rein. I just want this to end," was the only encouragement she got from Altessa before she folded her arms on her desk and laid her head on them.

Though there was an urge to storm out of the room, Rein was still able to stand and proceed to the front. She was so used to embarrassing herself in front of everyone in class presentations and whatnot this was nothing to her anymore. It would have been much better though if her partner was her twin sister instead so they could suffer together like before.

* * *

"Rein, cheer up," she heard what seemed to be her twin sister say in the most soothing voice possible. She didn't budge though and kept her face glued to her desk. Gradually, the noise inside the room started to lessen as she heard the sounds of students leaving their classroom.

"You can talk to us about it if you want," came from a soft voice - must be Mirlo. "It will make you feel better, I promise."

"Leave her be," this time, a male voice barged in. "She'll be fine in a bit. Rein embarrassed herself several times this is probably nothing for her. She's just doing that to get attention."

In no time, Rein was up with her fists clenched. "Say that again, and you'll regret opening that sassy mouth of yours!"

Putting on the perfect poker face, Shade turned to the two girls and said in a bored voice, "See? I told you she's okay."

"But Shade, you're being mean to her. You shouldn't tease someone when they are clearly upset. " Mirlo protested, her violet eyes boring straight into Shade's. Fine and Rein's jaws simultaneously went slack. Shade, on the other hand, still had the same blank expression except his lips were twitching upwards like when Rein saw him earlier in the morning.

Noticing their reactions, Mirlo flinched, a blush creeping up her face. "I-"

"Don't worry, Mirlo. We tease each other all day," Rein reassured her, smiling cheerfully up at her.

The bluenette almost yelped when she felt an arm suddenly slung over her shoulders.

"Yeah, it's like what she said. That's how we bond." Shade explained, a playful glint in his eyes.

Rein contemplated the best way to tell him to remove his arm without being rude. Shade doesn't do these kinds of things often so it must probably be the reason behind the increased pounding of her heart. Yes, that must be it. She would not accept other explanations.

Thankfully, the indigo-haired boy released his arm as they heard someone knocking on the door.

A boy with auburn hair peeked out as he opened the door a little. "Sorry for the intrusion. Is Mirlo here?"

"See you tomorrow, guys." The aforementioned girl said as she picked up her bag.

"See you!" The twins replied and waved at her in unison.

Before joining the mystery guy outside, Mirlo gave Shade a gentle smile, whose lips tilted upwards in an almost-smile in return.

"Rein!" A blond with the ability to make her act like a complete idiot walked up to them. "May I borrow her for a moment?"

"Well, we've been discussing nothing but nonsense here so it's okay," Shade replied drily.

Fine sent her an encouraging grin.

Rein resisted the urge to smack her palm on her face. She perfectly knew what that grin meant.

How could a teenaged girl be so dense? To think that she, an expert on boys and all their weirdness, was related to her.


	4. Chapter 4: Denial

Disclaimer: FBNFH belongs to its rightful owners

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Denial**

"Are you sure you're not going on a date?"

Rein saw herself scowl at the mirror before turning to her twin sister. "No, I'm not. Bright just asked me to accompany him to the mall so he can hear my opinion about the food places he wanted to visit there."

Scratching her chin as she emitted a humming sound, Fine took a step closer to her. "Why are you applying make-up again?"

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Rein slipped her lipstick inside her bag. A laugh in her throat, she explained, "Fine, I do this every day after school. Since you most likely don't know this, we call it retouch. In fact, this is a routine all high school girls do after class. Since it has been a long day, I have to reapply make-up to make sure that I still look as fresh as I am early in the morning. If you're now interested, I can tell you what brands of make-up work magic."

Sadly, the other girl didn't look the least bit intrigued. "I am aware of what you and the other girls do in the CR after class. Contrary to what you may think, I don't live under a rock. And I would rather use my savings to buy cake instead of clothes and cosmetics."

Is that aggravation in her voice? Perhaps Rein should stop lecturing Fine like a doting older sister. But seriously, that girl should change her ways. Seeing her gobble up piece after piece of cake without worrying about the possibility of gaining weight makes her cringe. Girls their age must start giving more attention to their appearance! And it's not just because of boys, mind you. One should always leave a good impression on others. In order to do that, she must exert more effort in making herself look more presentable.

The sound of water dripping down the sink brought her attention back to her twin sister. "If you're constructing another spiel in your head of the reasons why I should act more _girly_ ," she spat out the last word like it left a bad taste in her mouth as she washed her hands, the only thing she does to freshen up after class dismissal, "keep it in your mind. You already know that I'm not going to listen, anyway."

Rein waved her hands dismissively. "Alright. I can't expect you to have the same interests and hobbies after all."

"Oh, and before it slips my mind," Fine segued, folding her arms in her chest to adopt a no-nonsense look. "What exactly is your relationship with Bright?"

"We're just friends," the answer came out immediately. She inwardly congratulated herself when she managed to look at her twin's carmine eyes.

"He asked you to go out to the mall with him, right?"

She nodded.

"Just you and him?"

A moment of hesitation took over as she considered Fine's choice of words. Ultimately, she nodded, internally cursing Fine for making it a big deal when it must just be another hangout with a friend in Bright's perspective.

The sly smile the other girl gave her made the bluenette feel like she was looking at a mirror. "So why can't this be called a date?"

Rein's mouth twitched. She wanted to frown and shout at her that _no, this is not a date, please believe me_ but that would be the reaction that Fine was expecting.

"You're thinking it over, aren't you?"

Feeling exposed, Rein broke their eye contact. "A girl going out with her male friend isn't automatically called a date."

"I think I heard you saying otherwise to Toma and Chiffon when they had lunch together in a restaurant," Fine reminded her, the cheeky grin on her face telling her who's winning.

The other twin let out a frustrated sigh. The urge to bolt out of the room and escape Fine's persistent questioning was strong, but giving in to it would make her a hypocrite. Most of the time, she would be the one in Fine's position; relentlessly quizzing her friends about their relationships with their crushes.

She gazed up at the ceiling in an effort to find a response that can finally shut her up without getting distracted by the redhead's annoying expression. "As I said earlier, Bright wanted to try out the food in the mall. But of course, eating there alone won't be fun so he needed a friend to tag along. Which is why he asked me, and I, being a helpful friend, agreed to accompany him to the mall. In case you still don't know for some reason, friends-"

"Okay, okay, I get the picture! Jeez, you don't need to explain it to me like I'm an idiot!"

"Thank you for finally understanding. So will you now leave me alone?" With that, Rein was about to leave the comfort room, not wanting to make Bright wait any longer.

"One thing is bothering me, though."

Gritting her teeth, Rein whirled around to find a very smug redhead.

"Why are you so defensive?"

The bluenette glared at her. "Anyone would be so defensive if you kept bugging them about their relationships with their friends when it's as clear as day that there's _nothing_ going on between them!"

At the tone of her voice, Fine dropped her grin. Her face was now composed as she said, "My twin sister taught me this..."

 _Should I feel happy that she actually listens to me? Hmm... Probably not._

Because something told her that she's not going to like what will come out of Fine's mouth.

"She said that when someone's being defensive, there's probably something they want to keep as a secret."

Rein struck her forehead with her palm. If only she had known in advance that it would bite back at her someday, she wouldn't make it her job to mess with her friends. She couldn't help it; she had the time of her life making them flustered and splutter. And now, she could just imagine how much Fine enjoyed doing this. Talk about karma.

"Getting a taste of your own medicine, huh?"

If looks could kill, Fine would be nothing more than a charred corpse by now at the intense glower she was receiving. "You better shut your mouth or else, Fine..."

She hoped her face looks scary enough to make the other girl back off. But alas, despite being creeped out by Rein's gleeful expression earlier in the morning, her usually scaredy-cat of a twin sister proceeded to dig her own grave.

"Come on, tell me the truth!" Fine bounced up and down like a child eager to hear a bed-time story. "I won't tell anyone!"

"Oh, Fine...," Rein mumbled as she leaned her back against the wall wearily.

Thankfully, the redhead wasn't as dense as she initially seemed to be as it only took one look at the bluenette's face for her to know when it's the time to stop.

Her earlier excitement vanishing, Fine placed her hands on her sister's shoulders. "To tell you the truth, I didn't believe you when you told me that you had gotten over Bright."

Rein shook her head. "It was only a silly crush. Why won't you believe me?"

"I won't after seeing the way you look at Bright," she explained. "You should stop denying it. I may not know much about these kinds of stuff, but I'm sure that's not healthy."

"Bright only sees me as a friend...," Rein berated herself for failing to mask the longing in her voice.

"Just give him time and he'll know what an amazing girl you are!" The smile the forever clueless girl gave her was so warm anyone even in the gloomiest mood will be influenced to smile back but she couldn't force herself to do it. Not when part of the source of the aching feeling in her chest is her twin sister.

 _"I've been trying to strike up a decent conversation with Fine, but whenever I am near her, I feel jittery. I didn't know what to say to her all of a sudden," Bright had said earlier. "I hope I'll be able to start one that will not make me humiliate myself if I have a significant knowledge of the sweets Fine loves so much."_

Rein wanted to lash out at her, tell Fine how mad she is at her for not having any idea of how lucky she is. However, she wanted Bright to be the one to say it to her so she had to keep silent, even if she was dying to spit the words out.

 _"I am so pathetic, right? Not having the guts to talk to my crush. But if I were able to do just that, I'd feel very happy."_

She was angry at both of them, she realized. At Fine, for being dense. At Bright, for also being painfully dense. Two people who are both somehow ignorant of the crushes certain people harbor for them. Those two are definitely a match made in heaven. If she was in a far better mood, she would get a good laugh at that entertaining thought.

She had been trying to keep this horrible feeling, this jealousy, in her chest for so long but now, it's threatening to burst like a balloon filled with too much air. Her sister's obliviousness was no longer a shield sturdy enough against the chaos in her heart. She didn't hate her sister for gaining his affection without even trying, though. She would never hate her.

She's just freaking jealous.

Thankfully, she was saved from unleashing words she'll surely regret later. It was a double-edged sword however; Fine apparently thought this was the perfect opportunity to drop another bomb on her.

"And if Bright really wasn't the right guy for you, there's Shade."

Shade.

As if moving on to another guy could easily make the rejection she felt disappear. She knew Fine merely wanted her to cheer up but the redhead should know better and keep her mouth shut around topics she's helplessly clueless about.

 _Shade?_

"W-What do you mean Shade?"

"There's Shade!" Fine chirped delightfully as if she just figured out how to solve a complex math problem- which happened as often as she found solutions in boy problems like this. "He likes you, doesn't he?"

"Huh?" Rein placed her hand on her chest -her heartbeat had increased when his name was mentioned. That's... "Ridiculous. I think he likes Mirlo."

Fine was wrong. Of course, Fine would be wrong. Anyway, why was she discussing this like she's an expert on this... headache-inducing (Fine's words, not hers) girl talk? Fine was the one who always tries to avoid it whenever Rein brought it up. And of course, Shade liked Mirlo. The two had already seemed to be at ease with each other at such a short period of time. Rein thought he probably liked girls who were quiet but insanely talented. Girls like Mirlo.

And not girls like Rein.

That thought was supposed to make her feel happy. Happy for Mirlo. Yet, she didn't feel any positive emotion about it.

With a displeased grunt, she filled her hands with water from the faucet and splashed it over her face.

"Rein, you've just applied makeup!"

Ignoring her, Rein instead took out a couple of tissues to dry her face and erase the modest makeup she applied for the day. Might as well stop giving Fine any indication that she wanted Bright to like her back.

She pushed her red-headed sister's hands away from her shoulders. "Shade doesn't like me, Fine. Where did you get that idea?"

"What? You haven't noticed?" Fine asked, her eyebrows rising up to almost her hairline. "D-Do you know how he looks at you? For Princess Grace's sake, you're the only one who can make him laugh!"

Rein took a step back and stared dumbly at her sister. "You noticed that?"

Fine crossed her arms, seemingly insulted at her sister's curt remark. "Of course! I'm your twin sister!"

The bluenette shook her head. She shouldn't listen to Fine. Bright would never truly like her back and Shade absolutely didn't have feelings for her. Even if Altessa told her that she's the girl Bright needed. Even if Shade actually laughed and smiled more whenever she's around him.

Bright wanted nothing more than for Fine to like him back and Shade would develop feelings for Mirlo eventually.

"Look, Rein," Fine took a step forward to place her hands on her sister's shoulders once again. "I just wanted you to be happy."

"If you want me to be happy, shut your mouth!" Rein snapped. Fine was such a clueless idiot it's infuriating. This wasn't the first time she wished for a twin who held the same interests as her. Fine would have never gotten her feelings in disarray if she had been more like Rein. "You're the last person to encourage my feelings for people who would never see me as more than a friend! Just go back to talking about food, that's what you're good at!"

She tried hard to ignore the guilt bubbling in her stomach upon seeing Fine's hurt look. But this was all her fault. If only she knew better...

"I'm only looking after you!" The redhead retorted, her voice getting slightly brittle.

"Well, I don't need your concern!" Rein blurted out. Her eyes widened in horror after realizing the hateful words she had just said. She bowed her head shamefully. "Look, I don't want us to fight..."

"Me too," Fine agreed quietly. "Can we forget this happened?"

"No, we can't!" Doing that will only make it worse. These feelings will only grow with time and sooner or later, she will have to let them all out and Fine will know everything. Who knows how she will react?

"It's okay, Rein." Fine looked at her with kind and patient eyes the other immediately knew that she can't refuse. "Bright is waiting for you."

* * *

"Rein, do you also like sweets?" Bright asked as they made their way inside the mall.

"Nope. I'd stand aside to let Milky be Fine's number one rival in eating any day, thank you," Rein answered as she gripped the strap of her bag tightly in an attempt to calm her nerves. Why she was feeling nervous, she couldn't fathom.

"Really? I find that hard to believe." At her questioning look, he added, "As twins, wouldn't the two of you pick up on the habits of the other?"

"I don't think that's gonna happen anytime in the future," Rein said with an amused snort. "Fine is particularly possessive when it comes to her food. Her gluttony won't allow her to share her beloved sweets with me even if she had, like, a big box of them. While I may be a bit...selfish when it comes to lending her my jewelry."

The blond let out a chuckle at that, and Rein tried hard to block the thought that his laugh sounded like music in her ears.

Dear pathetic Rein, this is just some casual strolling in the local mall with a friend. Remember, you almost had a fight with Fine over this.

She looked at the floor with downcast eyes as the scene replayed itself in her mind. The buoyant disposition she tried to maintain was gone.

"You alright, Rein?"

The girl blinked repeatedly before looking up to meet her companion's worried eyes. "Y-yeah..."

"Is something the matter?" Was Bright's response to her sad excuse of an assurance.

"Um..." Inwardly chastising her mouth's sudden inability to produce sensible words, she settled for the second option to get away from this awkward atmosphere: through actions. So she took his wrist and started dragging him.

With no specific store in mind.

Taking note of this, she scanned the several shops lined inside the mall with utmost urgency. Luckily, she found one that must have something to do with sweets. Well, if its name had a relation to what it does, then Sugary Sweet is definitely the ideal place. "There! Let's go there!"

The first thing that crossed Rein's mind upon entering is the sheer number of students wearing the same uniform as them littering the establishment.

Rein pouted in dismay after giving the place a once-over. "Too bad it's full..."

"Don't lose hope yet," Bright prodded optimistically. "Look there! Shade might share a table with us."

Despite the blond's contagious enthusiasm, Rein was rooted to the spot.

Of all the people she least expected to see amidst the gaggle of students inside the cafe, Shade would be at the top of the list. From what she knew of him, he was not one to spend after class in the mall. Of course she didn't expect him to consistently go straight to his home everyday but she had hoped she would not bump into him today. She would bet her precious collection of jewelry what he's going to ridicule her about.

She peered at the other tables for a possibility to avoid Shade's unwanted scrutiny and teasing.

Bright noticed her tenacious search for other available tables. "Are you getting shy around Shade now? You're friends with him too, am I right?"

"Yeah, but-" Rein took one last glance around her but Shade, who sat by himself, is the only one who had two free seats in his table.

Well, this proved Shade's claims of not having or having interest in getting a girlfriend. If she had known he had plans to go to a cafe, she would have pushed Mirlo to accompany him. So lost was she in her thoughts that she didn't immediately register Bright taking her hand and leading her to Shade.

Strange... Before, she was as attentive as a cat when it came to anything related to the blond.

She pushed that thought at the back of her mind to be examined when she got home later. For now, she had to think of an efficient way to handle her current predicament.

Like anyone else, Rein didn't want to look like a bumbling fool in front of people. Especially _two_ gorgeous guys. And it's not just because she had a crush on them.

Correction: one of them.

She must have momentarily slipped out of the real world because the next time she blinked, she suddenly found herself staring at a pair of neutral blue eyes. And in the corner of her eye, Bright had already taken a seat. When did that happen?

"I always knew you were so charming, Bright, but I didn't expect it would come to the point where your date was already in dreamland when you haven't eaten yet." Yeah, this was typical Shade all right. Bringing it up in front of Bright immediately.

The other guy let out a good-natured laugh. "Don't be such a tease, Shade. I think Rein has had enough of your pestering." Turning his twinkling eyes at her, he pulled a chair beside him. "Come take a seat and ignore that awful prick."

Her frown morphing into a smile in an instant, she restrained the urge to hug the guy. Instead, she sat across the other bluenette. Finally, someone gets it! There was a reason why she crushed on him.

Unfortunately, Shade seemed to be set on destroying the mood. He must not have appreciated being called awful even if it's true. "And yet, you didn't deny your date with her."

"I was still thinking about how to convince you that it's definitely not," Bright reasoned, "and this is what I can tell you: two people of opposite genders going out to the mall isn't necessarily called a date. Perhaps they are just friends?"

Rein almost, almost swooned. Thank God there's someone in the same wavelength with her!

Shade, on the other hand, looked utterly unconvinced. Oh, she was absolutely going to erase all skeptical thoughts in his head before they exit the coffee shop. "Enough with the small talk. I want something to drink now."

The blonde cocked an eyebrow at his male friend's peeved tone but didn't address it. "I'll buy our food and drinks. What are you going to order, Rein?"

"Um, I'll have a...," she drew out the last word while she briefly reviewed the menu, "a caffe latte and a blueberry swirl cheesecake."

"And you, Shade?"

The aforementioned guy blinked twice as if he was lost in his thought. "Just a matcha latte."

And with that, Bright left Rein with a sour-faced bluenette and an awkward atmosphere.

Once the blonde was out of earshot, Shade propped his elbows up on the table and placed his chin on his hands. He stayed in that position for what seemed like eternity while his eyes followed Bright as he joined the line of customers waiting to place their orders at the counter.

Normally, Rein preferred a silent Shade than an impish one. Just this time though, she would like to have the latter instead. Anything but that hard face who was suddenly treating her like a stranger who just happened to accompany his friend.

She couldn't, for the life of her, comprehend why he won't acknowledge her. Did she do something wrong? If she were to guess, it must have something to do with her mouth. There must be something she said earlier that irked him. Or maybe, he just had a bad day.

She let out a long breath. God, this feels so awkward she was getting this shaky, uncomfortable feeling...

As if getting bored of watching customers leaving the counter after a few minute delay, his eyes abandoned the dull spectacle and went to her.

Rein looked away so quickly it was almost like it was done on instinct. In an attempt to evade the tension that surrounded their table, she found herself watching a couple, a very cute one at that, sitting at the corner and chatting animatedly.

"You know, for someone who's having her much-awaited dream date, I'd expect at least a little enthusiasm." Finally, her companion decided to speak. "I don't think your Bright is going to appreciate you staring longingly at another couple."

That sure was a very effective attention grabber, if the way her eyes darted to him while she clenched her fist was any indication. It was an unethical one, however, as it made her want to strangle him even if they were currently in a public place.

"We are just friends, darn it! Bright told you already! Ugh, when will everybody wrap their minds around that?"

Infuriatingly, all she got from him is a quirked eyebrow. "Huh." And what's up with that reply?

She knew she should shut her mouth before she says something she will regret but there's something in his face that spurred her on.

"Bright likes Fine, not me. And I want to help him get her attention since that stupid girl's as dense as marble," she blurted out, her hands shakily gripping the edge of the table. "He thought the best way to start is to know more about the thing that Fine's so passionate about-and you already know what that is- so he can gain some sort of connection with her. That's why we are here."

Shade blinked once. Then twice. And then, his mouth fell open and Rein wasn't sure how to react- should she pinch herself to make sure that she's not dreaming or take a picture of this rare moment for future blackmail?

 _Nah, I think it's better to do none of the above._

She didn't want to make him angry-there's something about the calm and collected ones that she didn't want to get on the wrong side of. And she definitely didn't want to look like an idiot. Especially not in front of Shade.

As if it just dawned on him what he did, he straightened in his seat and covered his mouth with his hand. And for reasons unknown, his shoulders started shaking.

She didn't know what to think. "Are you...laughing?"

Snorting, Shade removed his hand from his mouth and placed it on the table, the expression on his face swiftly reverting to his default impassive one. "Bright's being a moron again, that's all."

Not knowing what to think, she merely stared at him with wonder. She really needed to take a few pointers on how to put her expressions back under control at the drop of a hat from him.

"So you don't really like Bright," he said in a matter of fact tone. Although he sounded like he was only talking about the weather, she detected relief in his voice. Though what he was relieved about she doesn't know.

"Yeah. You better believe that," she told him tersely.

"Good riddance," he grumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"Forget it," Shade asserted, turning away to look at the people standing near the counter. "It's good you're over him. Anyone who is not dense can tell you'll just get hurt in the end if you keep pursuing him."

"I know," Rein agreed, managing a sanguine smile despite still feeling unsure if she's actually moved on. Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind. "Before I forget, is there really not anyone you've got the hots for? 'Cause all you need to do is to say her name and my matchmaking will do its magic!"

"I don't have a hopeless crush on some unlucky girl like that Bright," he answered dryly, still not looking at her.

"Oh come on! You've been getting even moodier lately! Based on my observations of guys with the same disposition, the best solution to your personality problem is getting a girlfriend!"

Halfway through her inspirational speech, she had placed her hand over his without thinking. When Shade turned to her, he looked as surprised as she was.

"Wow, you two sure...bonded," Bright barged in their conversation, smiling his trademark bright (no pun intended) smile. In his hands was a tray laden with snacks and drinks. There was a glint of...something in his eyes.

Feeling her cheeks flush, Rein removed her hand from Shade's as if it was on fire. The other bluenette scoffed and looked sideways, folding his arms on his chest.


	5. Chapter 5: Crazy

Disclaimer: FBNFH belongs to its rightful owners

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Crazy**

 _Am_ _I interrupting something?_

Was what Bright actually wanted to say when he saw what awaited him at their table. But then, he thought, _Eh, it's not worth it._

Something told him that Shade's not going to like it. Being one of the recipients of the glares he reserves to people who gets in his way was not good for his health. And Bright always, always thinks before he says what's on his mind.

So instead, he would control his mouth as Shade probably wanted him to be.

But whether he risked his safety or not, he still got the desired reaction: Rein immediately withdrawing her hand as if holding the hand of a guy is a forbidden act and Shade trying-yes, trying- to look indifferent.

He tried to ignore the blush on the girl's cheeks and the cold stare the other guy gave him (well, he _did_ interrupt something) as he set down the tray on the table.

Shade grabbed his drink with a speed that belonged to a man parched to death and sipped on it. Maybe he was really thirsty or he was trying to cool his emotions.

Noticing his gaze on him, he sent the blond a look that said, _what are you looking at?_

Feeling a shiver run up his spine, Bright looked away from the scary guy. He turned his attention to his other companion and gave her a questioning look. All he got from her was a shrug.

He sighed as he took a swig from his cup. He almost made a face at the overwhelming sweetness of the coffee.

Bright was not a fan of sweets. But if being one will give him a shot at gaining Fine's attention, he'll do it.

He'll do everything for Fine.

Unbidden, his mind conceived an image of Altessa shaking her head at him with exasperation plain in her eyes. He pushed the unwanted picture into the back of his head. To put it frankly, where did _that_ come from?

"I think I already know now why this cafe's called 'Sugary Sweet,'" Rein said with a grimace. There are no doubts about it: she's Fine's polar opposite. Her expression while she was eating her cheesecake said it all.

"This place is a diabetic's nightmare," Shade muttered. Throwing a smirk at Bright, he added, "You should take Fine to this cafe. She'll love this place."

This elicited an amused grin from Rein. "Prepare your wallet, though. I have a gut feeling she'll devour everything on the menu," the female bluenette advised with a teasing glint in her eyes.

Bright's grip on his fork went slack. Please tell him she was only joking.

But even before that, he had already known that Fine will most likely make his wallet cry. Well, if you really liked someone, you would look past all their quirks and idiosyncrasies, right?

"I-I'll keep that in mind for the future," he said, an array of unease gathering in his stomach.

Suddenly, he felt an urge to spill the contents of his drink to the thrash can. Oh, and the delicious-looking cake sitting innocently on his plate didn't look delicious to him anymore.

He shook his head. If it's for Fine, he can force himself to eat in here. Perhaps he will grow to like sweets if he managed to have a comfortable conversation with the redhead after eating a fair amount of sweets that he was coming to dislike even more.

"Melon! I didn't know you work here!" Rein chirpy voice pulled him out of his reverie.

Wondering why the name sounded familiar, Bright ceased his stare on his cake to glance at a green haired guy with a mop in hand giving her a gentle smile. If memory serves, he was the older brother of Lemon, one of Altessa's -quote, unquote- 'self-proclaimed friends.'

"This is only the first week of the cafe, so Lemon probably hasn't told you yet," was the upperclassman's reply.

"What? You mean this has just opened and yet it is already full? That's awesome!" Rein exclaimed, looking at the melon-haired guy with eyes shining with wonder. Bright had to admit she looked quite cute.

A hint of red started appearing on Melon's cheeks. "T-There are not much coffee shops around here actually. And you know how many students love going to these kinds of places."

Rein made a contemplating sound at the back of her throat as her eyes swept over the crowded cafe. "You're right. A lot appear to be. Though I can't say the same with my companions here."

While Bright suddenly felt self-conscious at his barely untouched cake, Shade's only response to that was a noncommittal sniff.

"Everyone has their own tastes," Melon said, shrugging. "And you don't like too much sugar in your coffee as well, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Do you find that surprising?"

"Honestly, yes. You and your twin have so much in common it's sort of expected for you two to have the same interests.

She quirked her head sideways. "You think so? If you ask me, we contrast more in a lot of ways."

Bright found himself voicing his opinion. "Well, Rein does have a counterpart to Fine's obsession with sweets."

"Hey! That was the past." Rein glanced at the blond with a shyness that surprised him. She actually blushed when their eyes met. "I don't have one as extreme as Fine's now."

Bright arched an eyebrow, not quite believing her claim. For him, her current obsession could be considered extreme if the lengths she had gone to make her plans work was any indication.

The abrupt, loud scrape of a chair to the tiled floor made three heads turn to Shade. He was wearing his usual stoic face but there was something about his expression - or aura, rather - that made Bright swallow nervously.

The blue-haired male stood up. "I'm going to the restroom."

"Uh, Shade-" A puzzled Rein began but was cut off when the guy kept walking as if he didn't hear her.

But before he was out of their sight though, Shade gave him the _look._

You could tell a lot of things from merely one look. For Bright, it was somewhat incredible to see such intense emotions in just a pair of eyes. And the animosity in that look is so strong it made Bright shiver involuntarily. Were he a lesser man, he would be cowering in fright by now.

He didn't do anything wrong, did he? But he must have. So what did he do to earn that?

He flicked his eyes from Shade to Rein. The slight flush in her cheeks had already faded as she watched the blue-haired boy leave with a mixture of confusion and worry.

Out of the blue, a certain scene from earlier flashed in his mind. The one with Rein's hand resting on top of Shade's. He thought of his male friend's reaction.

The realization that hit him like an unanticipated rain pouring on his head made him smile.

It's confirmed now: Shade likes Rein. He can understand now why the other male was looking at him like that. And that poor Melon as well, who was rewarded with Shade's ire by merely chatting with his crush. On the other hand, Bright supposed he deserved that glare since he must have made Shade believe that he liked her too by taking her to the mall. The blond needed to clear up the misunderstanding as soon as possible...or else. Those eyes warned him of what will happen if he didn't back off.

There is one question: was Rein aware of Shade's feelings?

It was only when Shade disappeared into the restroom did Bright let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"I'll see you at school, Rein," Melon said.

"Okay...And I'm sorry for taking up your time." She looked sheepish as she gestured around the cafe which is bustling with activity.

"It's all right." With that, Melon left them to head to the counter but not before giving Bright a brief nod.

Was it just him or was the guy quickening his pace to the point of almost running? Well, he wouldn't blame him.

"What's wrong with him?" Rein asked, looking annoyed.

"The cafe's quite full so I can only imagine how much busy the staff are," Bright answered absent-mindedly.

"No, I mean Shade," she replied with a chuckle.

"Oh!" Unbelievable... She doesn't know?

"Uh..." What should he say? Knowing Shade, he just knew that he should not tell her anything. "It's...a guy thing."

"Huh?"

Bright tried his hardest to put on his most charming smile. It wasn't difficult. He was so used to smiling no matter what kind of situation he was in that it felt as natural as breathing.

He had to make Rein drop the subject. She must not know, even if she came to the conclusion herself.

"I think it's best if you ask Shade himself."

"Eh?" Rein said, an edge of incredulity in her voice. "You can't just ask him that!"

"Why not?"

She just shook her head and placed her elbow on the table. Resting her cheek on her palm, she used her other hand to inertly poke her almost untouched cake with a fork.

His smile widened at the image she was making. "Fine would be offended if she saw you doing that."

Rein pouted like a petulant child. "I never really liked cakes to begin with."

"Anyway, Rein," Bright started, looking past her to regard the cafe's restroom, "I'm going to talk to Shade. That guy's not acting like his usual self."

"Yeah, someone should talk to him," she agreed earnestly. "I would like to know what set his teeth on edge."

When he stood up, Shade had already emerged from the restroom. But instead of heading to their table, he only leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. His eyes were fixated on Bright as if waiting for him to come over.

"Don't tell Rein," Shade immediately spoke once Bright was near.

"Tell her what?" The blond inquired despite knowing what he was talking about.

Shade glared at him. "You know already, don't you?"

Bright gave him a teasing smile. "Why don't you say what I shouldn't tell her? I might cause a misunderstanding if I agreed to something I only had a vague idea about. And you're very scary when you're angry."

At the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Rein watching them curiously.

The other guy heaved a sigh. "I know you don't have any feelings for her so you don't need to reassure me if that's what you wanted to tell me."

"Who?"

Another frustrated sigh. "Rein."

 _One more push, and I'm getting there._ "So you have feelings for her?"

He took Shade's grunt as a yes. "I will know if you shared that information around." His blue eyes revealed to him the consequences if he had the guts to disobey him.

Once again, Bright felt a shiver up his spine. _This was why you didn't have much friends._

"By the way," he decided to change the subject, "how's it going? Your crush still doesn't have any clue."

"Really." His tone betrayed no emotion.

"Yes. Believe me, she doesn't know," was Bright's reply, the amusement lacing his voice telling the other guy he found that fact funny. And ironic.

Shade chuckled darkly. A rare wry smile graced his face. "And here I thought she's a smart girl who notices things happening around her quickly. Contrary to what Rein thinks, they're just the same."

"I pity you."

Shade's eyes narrowed. "You're the pot calling the kettle black."

"At least I asked Rein for tips to gain Fine's attention."

"And your first step to get that gluttonous girl's affection by forcing yourself to like sweets is laughable to say the least."

"I will do anything for love."

Shade snorted at that, but he didn't drop the smile. "You're a disgusting sap, Bright. Being your friend is embarrassing."

Bright chuckled. "But you, Fine and Rein hadn't left me yet so that means I'm a decent person."

Shade's eyes darted to Rein, whose attention was now directed to her phone. "Who knew a girl knowledgeable on feelings and all those sappy stuff could be dense?"

The blond's lips twitched, but he managed to stop them from giving out an all-out laugh. He could relate well to his frustration. Oh, Bright had it even worse. "Shade," he said, trying to sound like a supportive friend while on the inside he felt anything but concern. "Rein is a matchmaker, remember? She's too focused on the relationships of her friends than her own that she didn't notice the existence of her suitor. Cut her some slack, okay?"

The bluenette's eyes were still on the girl, looking seemingly lost in his thoughts. He only looked away when she glanced at them like she was aware of his gaze. "I know Rein will instantly know if one of her friends had been pining after someone. Does that mean she doesn't consider me her friend?"

That does it. Bright let loose a fit of snickers. Though his tone and expression were that of his typical self, Shade's words sounded like a - dare he say it - pining teenager.

Indigo's eyes widened as if just realizing what the owner said. Shade groaned and wiped his face with his palm. His face clearly screamed, _What's happening to me?_

Noticing his friend's inner turmoil, Bright patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. She's a sharp girl. Give her time, and she'll surely catch on." _In fact, you're lucky. You actually have a chance with Rein. I, on the other hand, have no guarantee of Fine seeing me as more than a friend._

"Heh," Shade muttered, his composure recovered. "I wish you luck on Fine."

"Eh?" Bright uttered out, genuinely surprised. What could have made him say that? It was almost like the other knew what he had been thinking and was mocking him for his misfortune of falling for a dense girl.

But Shade only shook his head with a smirk and started walking past him, his hands in his pockets.

"Speaking of Fine!" He called out. Shade paused in his step. "Maybe you could ask her for some tips to get Rein to notice you? 'Cause in my case, it was working somewhat."

The blue-haired male ignored him.

 _I guess that's a no._

* * *

"Oh, Rein, I don't think I will be able to confess to her."

Rein really, really tried to look like the model of a supportive best friend.

"Now, you're making fun of me, Rein."

"I'm sorry, Bright," she said even if she wasn't really sorry. "This is just endearing!"

"Endearing?" He explained in shock. "I was thinking along the lines of being pathetic."

Pathetic? This was bordering on cute! Why was Bright being so insecure? It's just her sister; it's not like he was going to admit his feelings to the likes of the unpredictable Elizabert. Besides, he's Prince Charming! He's supposed to be anything but insecure!

Rein knew the answer to that question, and it's only composed of one name: Fine.

She hadn't run out of ideas yet. And if everything she cooked up still didn't work, she could always resort to more...drastic measures. There's more than one way to get Fine to retreat from her world of food and see reason. Her smitten admirer deserved that much.

"Hmmm, how about we do some information gathering?"

* * *

"Information gathering at a jewelry shop?" Bright questioned, confusion blatant in his voice. "Wait, was that Altessa and Auler?"

"Be quiet," Rein whispered as they pulled more distance away from the couple.

"Jewelry again! Altessa had several of them already! Why can't she be frugal for once?" He kept muttering.

"I think they're just window-shopping-" She trailed off when she saw a panicked Auler taking out his wallet.

"Utterly whipped," Bright noted with a frown. "I need to talk to Altessa about this tomorrow. I've always thought she is too assertive for someone like Auler."

"Don't put too much concern on this. When you're finally with the one you like, you feel like you would do everything for them to be happy."

"That I can understand," Bright agreed. "I know I'm supposed to act as her protective big brother but right now, I think I'm better off being that to Auler instead."

Rein wondered if he was joking.

* * *

"Do you know the books Chiffon and Toma are so immersed in?" Bright asked her as he leaned against a bookshelf.

"Reviewers for entrance examinations," Rein answered as she scanned the nearby bookshelves. She pouted when she found nothing but thick and dull textbooks in the bookstore.

"But the entrance exams is more than a year away!"

"Well, they're overachievers," was her only explanation. "It's their similar interests that got them together. Frankly, they make a frightening couple."

"Fine and I don't share the same interests, though."

Rein inwardly deflated. Even so, she didn't give up. "This is not just about liking the same stuff, Bright. What really equates in the end is how much you like being in her company and vice versa."

* * *

Next, Rein brought him to the arcade where she's certain to find two people.

"Personally, I think it's best to be natural," she suggested as they reached the basketball arcade where two people were shooting balls into the hoops as if their life depended on it. With the number of people watching them, they didn't need to hide this time. "Calorie and Tauri are too familiar with each other to treat one another differently after they became an item. Of course, the moments they share in the present was five times sweeter."

"I doubt they're being sweet to each other now."

Rein noticed it too. The two were seemingly engaged in a heated banter but she wasn't worried.

"Well, quarreling is also natural in a couple."

* * *

"What did Shade say?" Rein pestered Bright as soon as they exited the rambunctious atmosphere of the arcade.

"You can ask me that for, like, a hundred times and this is my answer: he told me not to tell anyone," Bright replied.

They were now idly walking inside the mall, Rein with a particular place in mind and Bright letting her take the lead. Shade had immediately left as soon as the two boys returned to their table before Rein could ask a question, fueling her irritation and curiosity even further especially now that she was no longer occupied on spying on their classmates. And in spite of Bright striking her as the kind of person who will never intentionally anger anyone, she was actually feeling quite annoyed at him.

Rein shoved the thought into the recesses of her mind in favor of the path ahead now that they were getting closer to one of Fine's favorite's places in the mall. Remembering its location, she took a left. She waved at Lemon and Noche when she saw the two passing them by.

"Do you do this often, Rein?"

"Do what?"

"Stalking these people," Bright said. The casualness in his statement made her gape. She had learned an awful lot about Bright today. If Rein was still head over heels in love with him, she would be ecstatic. Currently though, she didn't know what to feel. A part of her that was loyal to her sister told her that it should be Fine in her place instead.

"It's creepy how you know where they will be at a specific time," he continued, interrupting her thoughts.

"T-This isn't what you think! I knew all of them very well that I knew the places they'll go to after class! And I don't know where Elizabert and Fango went!" Probably because she's too scared to show her face to the raven-haired girl.

"Considering how much they owe you, they might not press charges against you." Bright placed his index finger in front of his lips, telling her that her secret was safe. And Rein had thought Bright would be the first person to call her out on her underhanded methods of matchmaking. _This guy just wouldn't cease to be even more charming._

Once she spotted a save, she hastened her step, almost leaving Bright behind in her excitement."There it is!"

"I should have expected this," Bright said benignly once he was close enough to see what the stall, which was named Lemint Station, sold. Being the nice guy he was, he had dropped their earlier topic.

Indeed it was Fine's personal heaven: candies of different shapes and colors stacked up in little plastic containers can be found in the small shop. Flocks of children with their guardians beside them gathered around it, eagerly waiting for their turn to buy their favorite sweets.

"Wow. It's so...colorful," Bright commented as they fell in line.

"Candies are supposed to be made for kids so they had to make them as eye-catching as possible," Rein said.

"I think you're never too old for candies."

"Eh, I only let Fine drag me here several times because I like the aesthetic in these kinds of shops."

"Good to see you again, Rein!" The vendor, a kindly old man, greeted. His fuzzy white hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and his eyes were squinted as he looked around as though he was searching for someone. "Wait, my favorite customer is not with you?"

"She went straight to home," Rein answered. She then gestured to Bright, "I just came here to accompany my friend. He wants to try out your sweets."

"Is that so? For a moment there, I thought you were finally infected by Fine and came here to buy them like I'm not going to sell them anymore!" Rein giggled awkwardly as she scratched her head. That will never happen. Ever. Witnessing the red head scarf down gummy bears, candy balls and whatnot with no signs of stopping only made her more mindful of the condition of her teeth. "A pleasure to meet you, young man! I'm Lemint. So you have a sweet tooth too?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Lemint. My name is Bright. Actually, I-"

"You see, this guy here has a huge crush on Fine," Rein interjected merrily. "He's not a candy fan, but he's going to convert himself into one so he can impress her."

"Wow! Such dedication!" The old man exclaimed. He inspected Bright from head to toe. "You must have really liked her because with all those good looks, I'd bet you don't really need to put effort in making girls flock to you - a lot must have fallen in love with you at first sight!"

She nodded. "True. Too bad Fine's too enamored with sweets to notice Prince Charming."

Bright's cheeks were tinged with pink - a priceless sight. Usually, the girl would do all the blushing. It was, for her, a nice change. "P-Prince Charming?"

"Here, Bright," Lemint gave him a packed plastic bag. "These are Fine's favorites. Well, truthfully, all of them here are - she likes them all."

"Thank you. How much are these?"

After Bright paid him, they headed to a sitting area nearby.

"You want some?" He offered her his bag of sweets as they walked.

"No thanks." Unfortunately, Bright will have to eat all those by himself. Lemint seemed to have given him too much.

"You're not really going to tell me anything what you and Shade talked about?" Rein knew she was now being nosy but she couldn't contain herself. She had always given in to her curiosity.

She looked up at Bright who was in the process of gorging a mouthful of candies. It briefly reminded her of Fine, whose mouth was always full of whatever food she had whenever she went to the mall. She waited patiently as he chewed.

"Oh gosh, I'm not doing that again," Bright said under his breath, using a hand to wipe his mouth. "You're not going to give up, are you?"

She smiled coyly. "Nope."

He countered her smile with a playful one. "I'm terribly sorry, but I, as Shade's loyal friend, am not going to say anything about what we discussed earlier."

"You two looked like you were having a heart to heart talk. Surely you wouldn't blame a girl for being curious upon seeing two guys doing that, right?"

When Bright started walking in a different direction without a word, she felt fear struck - had she gone too far? Until she heard him say, "There's a vacant bench there."

Rein sighed in relief. Thank heavens Bright is still his nice and polite self even with all her pertinacious prodding. At least, judging by the lack of irritation in his features.

"You know it's not wise to make Shade angry, don't you?" Bright asked her, as they sat down. It sounded more like a rhetorical question.

"Actually, I'm just joking," Rein said hastily. "I'm going to stop now."

"Thank you." She wasn't sure if she's just overthinking, but the blond looked like a heavy burden was lifted from his shoulders after he said that. She suddenly felt bad.

"Did Shade threaten you?"

Bright shook his head. "Not really. If you were Shade, you don't need to give threats in order to get someone to do what you want."

"You're right. His face is more than enough."

"You're...quite close to Shade, right?" Bright asked tentatively.

"Huh?" Rein blurted. That question came out of nowhere. "Yeah. You can say that."

Bright seemed to be in deep thought as he twisted the plastic bag with his fingers. "I mean, you two are the very best of friends, right?"

"Yup! We are BFF's!" Rein chirped, raising her fist in the air.

He stared at her blankly before giving out an utterly unconvinced "Okay..."

She tilted her head. "Is there...something wrong?"

"Ah... It's nothing you should be concerned about," he pressed, though he didn't seem to believe his own words.

Rein stared at him. Bright's acting quite weird today it's making her head feel disoriented. She wondered if all boys acted this way. Shade's actions also confused her. Perhaps boys are born to mystify the opposite gender.

She figured it's better to merely drop it. She had pestered him enough already.

"This may come out of the blue, but," she paused. She wondered if should be asking him this right now but - screw it. Her mouth's on a roll today. "Why...do you like Fine?"

Bright gave her one of his million dollar smiles. Usually, it would make her heart beat erratically and relieve her of her brain's ability to conjure up coherent words except his name but now it didn't have that effect on her. Perhaps she had gotten used to it? "Are you interrogating me now? Isn't it too early for that? I haven't even made a move."

"But you're my friend, and friends tell each other about their crushes," Rein reasoned. Although she had a clear idea on why the blond started to have feelings for her twin sister, she wanted to hear it straight from his mouth. "That is, if you want to," she added, for the sake of not being too intrusive.

"You're correct, Rein. Friends tell each other their secrets. And we are friends," Bright replied, leaning his chin on an upturned palm. "But first things first, Rein. You have a crush on me, am I wrong?"

Her jaw went slack. She had to firmly place her palm on her chin to prevent it from gaping disbelievingly at him.

Was it common occurrence for crushes, or rather former crushes, to inform their crush-ees that they were aware of the feelings they had towards them? It's supposed to be the other way around!

"A-Aren't we supposed to be talking about Fine?" Rein inquired, hoping that her voice didn't reveal how his question had shaken her.

"Yeah," Bright replied, deciding not to call her out on her clumsy attempt to divert their conversation. "But before that, I want you to know one thing."

Rein took a deep breath. Then, she looked straight into his eyes, inwardly daring herself to look away. She might be petty, but she wanted to prove to him that she didn't like him like that way anymore.

"I'm not Prince Charming. I am and will never be anything like the princes you read about. The one you've been crushing on is the result of the expectations people had for me. That wasn't really me. I assume you've already realized it today?"

She nodded. She knew now after seeing a different side of Bright today. He was like Auler in a sense. Actually, Bright was just like the other guys. Bright was like any other person who had flaws and insecurities. Rein was mature enough to know that those princes didn't exist in real life and so was the image she had created of him.

And that was when she realized that she's not the right person for him.

He was the object of her innocent fantasies for _years._ She had imagined herself dancing with him, being together with him, heck, even marrying him. Her present self found that embarrassing but she had to accept it. It's common for girls like her to set her sights on him. It's hard not to anyway. Denying this crush would just make matters worse especially when the girl her crush likes was her own sister.

It's now the perfect time to let go of the crush that made her heart swoon and ache.

"I knew you would get it immediately."

Bright gave her a smile that made her heart swell. Not with sadness at knowing that he'll never be hers but happiness at being his trusted friend.

"Fine's the first girl to look past my looks and status. She treated me like any other person and it...felt refreshing."

Rein nodded encouragingly, a smile on her lips.

"It's when I'm around Fine who didn't give importance of who I am that I learned to relax and...be myself. She's definitely one in a million. Suddenly, I knew...I just knew that I should keep her close." Bright explained with eyes filled with an unmistakable emotion. Rein didn't need to analyze it further. As he had said, she just knew.

"You really liked Fine." That was all the bluenette could say.

He nodded.

 _Fine, you're a very lucky girl._

She had to make her twin sister realize that. Oh, if only Fine wasn't as dense as marble...

Rein stood up with a grin. It's now the time to be honest with her feelings.

"You and Fine are so cute together I can squeal in giddiness! If you ask me, you two are a match made in heaven! Both totally unaware of how amazing they are, the people around them are starting to lose their patience!"

Bright's eyes widened as he also stood up. "R-Rein, what-"

"It's kind of heartbreaking knowing not only that the person you've been crazy for only had eyes for your sister but also that said sister was very dense you're so tempted to snatch him yourself to make her finally realize it. But I have had enough of this drama. Because I feel nothing but joy for my twin sister. Right now, I can just squeal in giddiness!" She gushed. Putting a finger to her lips, she continued, "But we're in a public place so I'm going to contain myself for now."

Scratch that. She was still a crazy girl. Well, at least now, it's for a different reason.

Her cheeks burning up from her confession, she checked her watch. "Waaa! Look at the time! Camelot will surely scold me!"

She dashed off immediately, not waiting for her companion to catch up.

"Rein, wait!" Bright called out. The poor guy must be feeling overwhelmed at her unexpected outburst. Well, even she was surprised she said all those to his face.


	6. Chapter 6: Sparked

Disclaimer: FBNFH belongs to its respective owners.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Sparked**

As soon as Rein was out of her sight, Fine dropped her facade.

And after ensuring that she was the only one in the restroom, she let out a melodramatic sigh.

She realized she was wrong when she thought that the two were still alike. There had been a time when she knew what was on the bluenette's mind and vice versa. Heck, they knew each other so well they could finish each other's sentences!

What happened then?

Simple. Their interests and hobbies. Fine respected Rein's boycrazy nature and love for romance as much as Fine knew the other respected her own love for food and sports. They were what gave them individuality after all. However, she didn't like the bickering and face palms that were getting worryingly common due to their differences.

It was so confusing. At first, Fine had wanted to free herself from her sister's ubiquitous presence but now that that had happened, she abruptly felt a desire to stay close to Rein as much as possible.

It was in times like these where she wanted nothing more than to gorge on cakes- wait, it didn't necessarily have to be a cake, she just wanted to eat, damnit!- and push the thought into the back of her mind. But no, she must not play the role of the indifferent sister this time. She's worried for Rein. She wouldn't deny that.

And so, Fine literally shook the negative thoughts away and departed the lady's room. Perhaps it's now time to help her sister out in her matchmaking projects. Anything to make her sister smile more.

 _"Just go back to talking about food, that's what you're good at!"_

Ouch. It hurt but what can she do? It's the cold truth. She really shouldn't have said those back then like she was an expert on all those irritating he-likes-me-he-likes-me-not stuff.

But there would always be a way to help someone and Fine was as stubborn as her sister.

She was too focused on her mental planning that she was surprised she was able to dodge the scattered papers on the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" She blurted out as she knelt down to pick them up, horrified after noticing that she had almost dirtied the works of an undeniably talented artist. Why were they lying on the ground anyway?

"Don't worry, you didn't step on any of them." Fine looked up to register a boy with emerald eyes and auburn hair that reached his shoulders. There were dried drops of paint on his hands.

"It's actually my fault," a familiar voice said to her right. She deduced Auler must have bumped into the guy, making him drop the papers as a result.

"Um," she muttered, her voice edged with unease as she stared at the sketch of someone she knew.

A hand snatched the paper from her hands so quickly Fine was worried he'd accidentally crumble the paper as a result. "I-It's not what you think!" The artist spluttered, his ears a funny shade of red.

Understanding the guy's predicament, Auler had returned the papers to their owner facedown. Nice guy as always.

There was not much to think about it, though. "You have a crush on Mirlo?" Fine asked him.

 _"I think Shade likes Mirlo."_

Uh-oh. If she was Rein, she would most likely squeal at their artist dynamic and the love triangle thing. Thankfully, she was not here.

"Ye- No!" Wow, what a convincing denial. It reminded her of the actions of _someone_ a little earlier. "You're her friends, right? Don't tell her anything about this please!"

Fine smiled as she stood up, a plan in mind. "We won't. Could you tell me your name?"

"I'm Pastel," he replied as he placed the papers on a folder which he then deposited into his bag.

After telling him their names, Fine gave in to her urge. "How did you and Mirlo meet?"

"Fine," Auler nudged her arm with his elbow.

Was this the standard protocol for a person who accidentally discovered a stranger's secret? Probably not. The only defense Fine had was that she thought she could help Pastel in some way

"It's okay..."

On Fine's suggestion, they moved to a vacant table in the lounge.

It's cute, actually. But sad at the same time. Obviously, both Mirlo and Pastel were members of the arts club. Unfortunately, Pastel frequently missed club meetings because he had to take care of his sick father.

"I don't see her much lately but I can't stop thinking of her smile," Pastel said, a faraway look in his eyes. It showed in his drawings which he brought out again after some insistent prodding. They were all about a smiling Mirlo. Fine wondered if he had Mirlo pose for him or if he drew her from memory. Nevertheless, they were so beautiful. _Mirlo_ was beautiful.

It must be stressful tending to a sick parent. If Mirlo makes him happy...

"So you're the admirer from afar," Fine bit out, remembering Rein's terminologies. "You remind me of someone else."

She glanced at that someone who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Pastel perked up. "You too? How did it go?"

"As a matter of fact, they're together now," Fine spoke up for Auler who was silently staring at his lap.

"Really? Congratulations!"

"T-Thanks," Auler stammered, flushing. After a moment of gathering his confidence, he smiled at the other guy. "You seem to like Mirlo a lot. Why didn't you tell her your feelings?"

Pastel went back to being the admirer with unrequited feelings. "I've thought about it. It's not going to work out."

"Why?"

"Next year, I'm moving to somewhere far. I may never see her again."

Fine felt her heart go out for him. She was glad she didn't tell him about another guy's possible feelings for Mirlo. She would never succeed in convincing him otherwise. "You like her. She has to know that."

"She's right," Auler piped in. "I liked Altessa for a long time but I never got the courage to tell her because I thought I was not the right guy for her. Until someone convinced... or rather forced me to confess to her. I did it because I knew I will surely regret it if I didn't and she fell in love with someone else instead."

"Auler...," Fine mumbled. She was becoming more like Rein now and she's not sure if she should hate herself for that but screw it. "The annual dance is getting closer. You have a golden opportunity!"

"Why are you encouraging my feelings for her anyway?" Pastel asked as he returned his artwork to the folder. "We just met. For all you know, I may be just a stalker."

"You're obviously not," Fine countered. "You like Mirlo not only because of her looks, right? Besides, I'm a good judge of character. I could already tell you're a kind-hearted guy."

His eyes widened. "Mirlo's someone I personally admire."

"So why don't you give it a chance? Living a long distance away is no longer a justifiable reason why a relationship won't work."

Pastel gave the standard "I'll think about it." He probably didn't expect his day in the school to end like this. Two total strangers interested in his love life all of a sudden... It's surprising how he shared his feelings to them despite that.

"I don't think the students of this school will be able to handle two matchmakers," Auler muttered as the two of them made their way to the school gate.

"What?" Fine whirled to him.

"Pastel doesn't seem to have any plans to confess to Mirlo before we talked to him."

"He looked sad, that's all. I really want to make him smile more."

"Me too. I'm glad we bumped into him today."

Fine's glad too. There was this inexplicable warmth in her chest when Pastel thanked them. The fire in his green eyes assured her that he will definitely confess to Mirlo someday.

Fine wondered, was this why Rein loved matchmaking? What if it's not actually the romance that Rein was obsessed about but the simple idea of helping someone? Maybe the bluenette just wanted to make someone happy the same way she wanted Pastel to be happy.

Fine felt a grin spread across her face.

Maybe they really were alike.

* * *

The next day, Rein went to school much earlier than usual.

She left home with a still dreaming Fine (if her almost incoherent mumbles about cake were anything to go by) and a flabbergasted Camelot and Lulu who gaped openly at her instead of dutifully reminding her to do well in school like they do everyday. She hoped the two had promptly recovered from their stupor to prevent her twin sister from getting late.

She lifted her eyes to the sky as she recalled the two maid's reaction to her punctuality. Those looks...offended her.

Rein lowered her eyes in time to halt her steps in order to avoid bumping into a fellow student.

"My, my, what a surprise!" Altessa exclaimed in incredulous amazement. "One of the top two slackers going to school early? Am I dreaming? Somebody, pinch me!"

 _Stay calm, stay calm._ She recited in her head, an eyebrow twitching. _Ladies don't lose their cool at some harmless teasing._

"Where's Fine?" The blond girl questioned, her emerald eyes accusing. "Don't tell me you left her behind."

"Um..."

"Because knowing Fine, she's probably still dozing off like the lazy girl she is."

"S-She doesn't oversleep everyday...," Rein tried to defend her sister.

"Yet, you didn't wake her up on one of the occasions she slept in. What a responsible sibling," Altessa admonished her, a hand placed on her hip.

"I was in a hurry," she tried to defend herself.

"For what?"

"Hmmm...," Rein breathed out, feeling puzzled herself. There was actually no logical reason why she went to school early. Before the alarm clock even rang, she was already up with a pumped up mood despite the fact that the day is still young. Her sleepiness was consumed by the happy thoughts in her head. She couldn't force herself to return to sleep.

Letting go of her feelings for Bright made her feel like a brand-new person. She had always known moving on was not going to be a piece of cake but the warm feeling in her chest was rewarding. This feeling filled her with so much energy she wanted to act like a hyperactive kid all day. Also, the annual school dance was getting closer, and she felt so excited she couldn't count the number of times she told Fine about it. Also, her plans are starting to bear fruit - all she needs to do now was to wait.

In the end, she had no other reason that could explain why she had gone to school alone at an admirable time other than she merely felt the urge to.

That realization made Rein feel regret. Regret at the additional time she could use to sleep. She could also bother Fine - whether she was actually listening or not - with her pent-up enthusiasm about the ball if they went to school together! Ugh! Now, she's annoyed at herself.

"Wonderplanet to Rein."

"Whoops! I spaced out!" She said. "Sorry!"

The other girl sniffed. "Off to your own world again? How predictable."

"But I'm so excited for the school dance!" Rein blurted out, her mouth moving by itself. Hey, she's a chatterbox - she couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Just a few more days! I can't wait. It's only a matter of time before Bright finally confesses his feelings for Fine! And then, Shade and Mirlo are like, perfect for each other! But they're too quiet. I need to get them to talk more! Aaaaah, I need to-"

"Hey, crazy girl, you need to calm down!" Altessa cut her off. Instead of looking annoyed like Rein expected her to be, there was a small smile on the blonde's face. "Anyway, you and I need to talk."

"What is it?" She asked, the enthusiasm in her voice earlier quickly replaced by curiosity.

Altessa's smile turned into a grin, and a teasing glint entered her eyes. "Sophie said that you and my brother were on a date yesterday. How was it?"

"We're not on a date!" The response came too quickly.

"In denial? That's so not you, Rein," she remarked. "Shouldn't you be feeling, I don't know, over the moon after finally scoring a date with my brother? You should be babbling nonstop about that instead!"

The bluenette's shoulders stiffened, her mind going back to their conversation yesterday. She was ecstatic knowing that she had the blonde girl's support but now... "It was a long story. I was only with him for Fine. It was never about me."

"Huh?" Altessa's face demanded a thorough explanation. "What did that got to do with Fine?"

Rein sighed. She was looking forward to a carefree day. And it's still so early in the morning...

"Wait a minute," the other girl said, holding up a hand when Rein opened her mouth. "I know big brother has had a crush on Fine for quite a while... You already know that of course but you no longer spend as much time with him as before nowadays. Considering your strange fixation on matchmaking, darn it, my suspicions are correct."

"Altessa-"

"Save your breath!" Altessa snapped, looking very displeased, and Rein had no idea why. "I know you like him - don't deny it, your face said it all that day - but why did you encourage his feelings for Fine?"

"Because he really liked her."

Emerald eyes widened. The owner of them was silent for a moment, seemingly processing the new information. Then, Altessa's harsh face softened. "Did you tell him about what you felt?"

"Yes."

The blond gave a start of astonishment, obviously not expecting that answer.

"But I told him that I have gotten over it...this unrequited love," Rein said with optimism. "It was just a crush all little girls have... Now that I'm all grown up, I found out that these feelings are merely admiration. There's nothing more than that."

"Rein...," she said softly, "Rein, I know I said that I trusted you with my brother but...I can't say the same about Fine."

"Why not? I'm confident that she will never hurt Bright."

The blond shook her head. "Unintentionally though, she will. Fine's so dense. She is going to hurt him with that trait of hers."

The bluenette placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Fine is not that dense. She may not look it but she's actually perceptive."

"You know, Rein, you always put importance on the feelings of others. It's great that you care and all but," Altessa told her, her voice soft with sincerity. "You need to pay attention to your own feelings sometimes."

Rein blinked, wondering if she heard her right. Those words brought warmth into her heart... Was Altessa really the one who said that? Sometimes, she felt like she was talking to a completely different person whenever she had a conversation with the blond.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" And just like that, the gentle tone was gone and a snippy one took over.

Rein grinned at her. "Thanks for worrying about me, Altessa."

"Worried? About you?" Altessa snorted. "Not in a hundred years! I just noticed that you are always willing to help solve problems of other people. I have a feeling that you would set aside whatever's been bothering you in favor of others. So, I took it upon myself to remind you to think about your own emotions at least once in a while!"

Rein blinked, not sure if her brain had processed all of the words of the other. Was she truly like that?

"Hmph!" Altessa spat out. "You and your sister give me headaches almost everyday! Especially _you_ , Rein!"

Rein blinked again. Her friend was in a bad mood. But she was moody almost everyday so what makes this different? The fact that classes had not even started?

"Though Fine is so oblivious it's ridiculous, you on the other hand," she pointed a finger at the blue-haired girl. "feel like you know everything about...love you made it your responsibility to make everyone confess to their crushes!"

Altessa paused to catch her breath. "You're so selfless it annoys me. I know I'll hate it when that characteristic of yours gets you hurt in the end."

Rein stared at her dumbly. Altessa's rant apparently rendered her brain's capability to think rationally.

"I should've just evaded you today. I wonder how much stress I would have avoided if I hadn't talked to you." The blond glared at her before walking away with her trademark huff.

Rein wanted to follow her and say sorry for ruining her day but decided against it. Altessa will just get angrier at her. But she didn't do anything wrong, right? She just listened as Altessa went on and on about the things the blond hated about her.

Now alone, she looked around the campus to see if there are people she knew but alas, she could only spot a few students, and all of them are unfamiliar faces.

She took a deep breath and released them with a melodramatic sigh. Altessa's monologue kept repeating itself in her head. She recalled it again, wanting to know why it had stunned her.

She trudged along the almost empty hallway, still lost in her thoughts.

Altessa is a perceptive girl. Rein couldn't hide anything from her. Although her blond friend had a knack for saying the wrong word at the wrong time, she always had good intentions. The bluenette knew she should follow her advice.

But matchmaking is her hobby. She liked the rush of happiness in her chest whenever she saw a couple get together with her help. Surely, there is nothing wrong with that, right?

Aside from Bright, she never really liked anyone. And Rein didn't have any desire to be in a relationship anyway. She was still too young to worry about being single forever. She would just wait for the right time.

Besides, a lot could happen in a relationship. She didn't want her view of love to be tarnished by negative stuff yet.

Gradually, more and more students were arriving. The calm atmosphere soon became a noisy one as the students lounge around and wait for classes to start. It's still a full ten minutes before her first class and she had nothing important to do so she kept walking. She briefly thought of Fine and hoped her twin sister was able to go to school on time.

She grinned when she finally spotted a friend. At last, she can now talk! Thinking too much gave her a headache. It's all Altessa's fault for giving her something to muse on.

Her grin broadened when he didn't seem to see her and turned his back on her. Without thinking, she ran towards him and, when she was close enough, called out, "Shade!"

Rein knew she would regret it later but she pounced on him like a cat catching an unsuspecting mouse. She heard a yelp as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. It was when she looked down that everything went downhill.

Shade seemed to have good reaction time as he had already turned to her before she could surprise him. Her heartbeat stuttered as her eyes met his.

 _I shouldn't have called out his name._ She thought. Then, she wondered why she was thinking about things that couldn't be reversed when she was in a situation that she must quickly get out of.

She felt her cheeks heat up as she realized how close their faces were. Her grip on him faltered and would've caused her to fall and hit her head on the ground if it weren't for Shade's hands wrapping around her back.

"You idiot!" Shade bit out, his cheeks also aflame. She could feel the warmth of his hands even through the thick blazer she was wearing.

"I'm sorry!" Rein cried, holding on to him for dear life.

"Get off me! You're heavy!" He complained as they started to sway back and forth.

"I can't! I might fall! And I'm not heavy!" Shade must not be as strong as he appeared to be because she really was not heavy.

"Yes, you are!"

What a comedic sight they must be to the other students nearby: the two of them bickering like a couple having their morning spat while they were in a very uncomfortable position.

Wait, like a _couple?_

Before she could ponder more about that though, things suddenly took a turn for the worst.

Without warning, someone barreled into them (Rein couldn't see who it is since her back is turned towards it). It was the trigger for Shade to finally lose his battle against gravity...

And put the two of them in a position Rein only saw in romantic movies.

It all happened too fast for her rapidly beating heart and panicked mind to handle: one moment, she was clutching Shade's shoulders like a koala and then the next, her hands met rough, concrete floor. They were also the only things preventing her to fall face-first into the ground.

Of course, she would not be kissing cement if she ever fell because right between her hands is him. Yep, if her arms weren't supporting her, she would end up kissing... Huh?

It then dawned on Rein that the current position she found herself in was much, much worse than earlier.

 _This doesn't happen in real life!_ She wailed in her mind.

Because underneath her is a red-faced Shade lying on his back. Thankfully, her arms that pinned both sides of his head gave her a minimal but still precious distance between their faces.

She was definitely not thinking or staring at his lips. There was no way she was thinking about how close she came to kissing him just now. Because she was...not!

"You're unbelievable," Shade said, glaring up at her. She wasn't sure if the redness of his face and ears came from anger or the closeness of their faces. "Did you ever think of the consequences of your actions?"

Though his tone was reproaching, his voice was husky and made her heart beat even faster.

"I-I'm s-s-s-s..." Wait, what was that word again? She was sure it started with an s... But her brain couldn't seem to function under his smoldering gaze.

Rein closed her eyes in an effort to gather her thoughts. When she opened them, she gulped as she saw a startling pair of brilliant blue orbs staring back at her sea-green ones. That gaze was too much for her panicking heart... She must look away.

Why did his eyes always make her feel jittery?

"Can you get off me?" Shade demanded, pulling Rein out of her reverie.

"I'm s-s-s-" Why can't she say that word? She had said it earlier! "Sorry!" She finally uttered as she tried to stand up. Tried. Because when she took a step back to allow Shade to also get to his feet, she tripped on his shoes. Luckily, there was someone who managed to catch her before she fell and embarrassed herself even more.

"What happened here?" An amused and familiar voice asked from behind her.

"You saw everything, didn't you, Bright?" Shade accused as he got up.

 _Damn it, of all people to see me in a compromising position..._

Bright only chuckled. "Does it matter? There are a lot of people who saw you."

Rein was filled with mortification as she took in the curious stares of the other occupants of the hallway. After getting caught red-handed, they all looked away and pretended to return to whatever they've been doing before they watched the entertaining spectacle. Today was absolutely not her day.

At least one of them must have taken a picture. Rein wanted to cry. Scratch that, she wanted to _die!_ No, Shade will _kill_ her if ever those photos were spread everywhere!

No, she wanted to melt into a puddle right now!

"Rein, it's alright," Shade told her coolly, his sharp blue eyes locking with hers. "Let's pretend this didn't happen."

She blushed again and stared at her feet. His eyes were too intense for her to look at for too long but at the same time, they were gentle. Like Bright's. "I'm really, really sorry. I shouldn't have jumped on you like that."

"Make sure you're not going to do something as reckless as that again. Why did you do that anyway?"

The irritation in his expression sent a stab of pain at her chest. Seriously, what gave her the idea to do that? It was a foolish spur-of-the-moment move. "I had been walking here for a long time and I felt lonely because I didn't have anyone to talk to. So when I saw a friend, I got hyped up I didn't think." Sadly, that was the only explanation she could manage. It sounded shallow in her ears.

"That's it? Are you that stupid?"

Rein flinched.

"Now, now, Shade, don't be harsh on her. What's happened happened," the ever considerate and sympathetic Bright came to her rescue as usual. "I must say though, seeing calm and collected Shade blushing madly early in the morning made my day."

"One more thing, Bright," Shade threatened. "Say one more thing about this..."

"I guess that'll be my cue to leave. I don't want to be late to my first class," the other replied, smiling casually despite the dangerous look Shade was giving him.

Rein watched their exchange with a mixture of amusement and fascination. She'd thought that Bright was too polite to intentionally get a rise out of someone.

"See you later, Rein, Shade."

"Bye," Rein mumbled as the blond left. Shade, on the other hand, was silent.

She cleared her throat, but Shade still didn't say anything. "Um...,"

"You should head to your class too, Rein," he muttered, then turned on his heel and walked away.

Rein only sighed as she watched his retreating figure get smaller and smaller until she couldn't see him anymore.

Then, she had to cover her mouth before she could utter a wail of horror.

How was she going to face Shade now?

* * *

Additional notes:

-Aulezza (is that how you call them?) deserves more love.

-Thank you, thank you, thank you to you readers most especially the ones who put aside their time to tell me what you think of this story!  
-Oh, look, cherrione changed the summary again. How many times had she changed it? Two? Three? Eh. I was very tempted to write 'summary says it all' because well. I couldn't write a satisfying summary for this.


	7. Chapter 7: Realization

Disclaimer: FBNFH belongs to its respective owners.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Realization**

Fine didn't ask for any of this. She didn't ask for a troublesome matchmaking sister. She didn't ask to be infected by that said sister's matchmaking phase.

Well, technically, it's Pastel's fault for inspiring her to be a goddamn matchmaker. Scratch that, it's Rein's fault! She's the one who started this mess by encouraging Mirlo's crush on Shade! Speaking of Shade, he's the one truly at fault for being so appealing in the first place!

What's to like about Shade anyway? Sure, he's quite a looker. A girl with a tomboyish streak can admit to that. Even Rein seemed to have taken a shine on him lately. But there were still other guys a girl can healthily crush on. Guys who were more approachable than the usually standoffish Shade. For example, Bright. She was aware that he's the perfect boyfriend material. Except Fine wanted him to like Rein so it's a good thing Mirlo hadn't developed feelings for him.

See, this was why she loved sports instead. There was too much thinking and analyzing. Maybe Rein's into those kinds of stuff but Fine's absolutely not.

And yet, here she was, trying to be a matchmaker to this insecure guy.

To be honest, she had never expected to take a page from her sister's book and be interested in the love lives of people who deserved some privacy. That was so not her. But she couldn't resist. She just wanted to help Pastel. She wanted to make the poor guy happy. That was all.

Currently, the guy looked crestfallen at the scene before him she wanted to pat him on the back and say, "Cheer up, Pastel. One day, Mirlo will like you back."

Well, forget it. Doing that might make him tear up. He looked like he's going to let loose some tears when he's alone in the men's room or something. Damn. Fine shouldn't have gotten Pastel's hopes up.

She caught his wrist and pulled him down to his chair before Pastel managed to hightail it out of there.

"Don't make that face," she chided him. "Mirlo won't fall in love with you if you get discouraged over a trivial thing like that."

"It's nothing trivial!" Pastel protested, his hands tightly gripping the edge of the table as if obtaining Mirlo's affection depended on it. "Mirlo lent her sketchbook to him! Artists don't lend their sketchbooks to anyone like it's nothing!"

The hurt in his voice urged Fine to take on a different approach. "Shade stole it then."

"No, he didn't! Shade's a nice guy!"

Shade? A nice guy? Sure he was almost as polite as Bright but he was never a 'nice guy' towards her and Rein. Especially Rein. He seemed to get a kick out of annoying the heck out of her.

Of course Shade would not go so low as to steal something that's obviously invaluable to someone but what other reason could she give besides the assumption that Mirlo and Shade were close to the point where he could view the contents of her sketchbook in public?

Fine's mouth suddenly went slack around the cinnamon roll she had been eating when a worrying thought struck her.

Was she competing with Rein?

She couldn't handle the thought of the possibility of her fighting with her sister one day. It just wasn't right. Yet here she was, concocting plans to get Pastel together with Mirlo while Rein ships...Art Moon or something like that.

What do you call this fight? A matchmaking battle? Oh, the horror!

Knowing the bluenette's passion for matchmaking, Fine didn't want her relationship with her twin damaged for something as shallow like this!

Fine hoped she was simply overthinking this mess.

"Calm down. Maybe you're just overthinking it," Auler's advice stilled her mind even if it wasn't for her.

"No. It's not only that," Pastel asserted. "I'm competing with _Shade_ of all people here. I have no chance with her before I can even try."

 _Here we go again._ Fine could now relate to Rein's frustration with insecure guys. She had initially thought only girls get anxious about these things.

Auler chuckled, placing a supportive hand on the jade-eyed boy's shoulder. "Pastel, I'd been in your situation too. I know the feeling. You can't give up now when there's still a lot of time to get Mirlo to like you back. You don't want to regret not doing anything. I'm sure you know that."

Fine gazed at the viridian haired boy with awe. Auler had never looked so sure of himself before. His girlfriend must have rubbed off on him.

"What's wrong?"

Fine groaned.

"R-Rein!" Auler squeaked. Just like that, his confidence was gone.

"Hello guys!" Rein greeted as if she had every right to join in their conversation. Then she gazed at Pastel like a worried friend even if they were complete strangers in reality. "You look heartbroken. Who was it?"

"Um..."

 _It's none of your business._ Fine wanted to say. Knowing that the response will just prompt Rein to prod her new friend until he gave in, she lied instead, "He just lost his sketchbook, Rein."

"Sketchbook?" Rein repeated.

A realization seemed to have crept into her sister. Fine didn't know why or how but she knew her sister was up to something crazy again as she stalked off like a woman with a mission.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Fine noticed that Rein's destination was Shade's table.

Uh-oh.

Pastel's mouth gaped open as Rein snatched the sketchbook from Shade's hands. Fine shouldn't have followed his example and did the rational thing instead but only one thought came to her.

Why does her sister always make a scene wherever she goes?

* * *

"You have no shame, Shade!"

His hands still not changing their position despite the absence of the item they were holding a moment ago, Shade looked up at her.

Rein froze as their eyes met. Unbidden, she remembered her hands touching cold concrete, their faces only a few inches apart...

Shade looked away. Without the eye contact, Rein was able to shake that memory away from her head.

Too bad his red ears made Rein recall how his face was an adorable shade of pink yesterday...

"I-I have no shame?" Shade uncharacteristically stammered, his eyes fixated on the wall beside him. "That's rich coming from you!"

"A-Apologize to... uh, to that guy over there!" Rein spluttered, mentally cursing at unfairly handsome boys with knee-weakening stares.

"Huh?" There he struck again with his one word responses. She gritted her teeth.

"This sketchbook you obviously stole? The owner was just a few tables away! You have some nerve!"

"I didn't steal it," Shade protested, a hand reaching out. Rein raised the sketchbook in her hands as high as she could. "The owner gave it to me."

"Shade's right," Fine spoke up from behind Rein. "It's Mirlo's actually."

"Huh?" _Huh._ "Huh..."

With Mirlo's sketchbook back in his hands, he directed his attention to Fine with smug eyes. "Hold on, Fine. I think we need to wait for a handful of minutes for her brain to process that."

Rein wanted to kick herself. Then, she wanted to kick Shade.

"Why do you always make fun of Rein?" As usual, Fine and Rein were in the same wavelength.

"Because I want to. Do I need to have a reason?"

"I'm sorry, okay? Why can't you be nice to me for once?"

"Why should I be nice to you? You're so fun to tease." Shade retorted, clearly enjoying himself. "I don't want to miss out on all the fun."

Rein clenched her fists. Taking a deep breath, she changed the subject before she was humiliated even further. "Why do you have Mirlo's sketchbook? Did you steal it?"

"I didn't steal anything." He recited the words slowly as if Rein were a five year old child. "And even if I did, I'm not so stupid as to take it out in public."

Amidst it all, Fine kept glancing at the two like one would watch a tennis match.

"Mirlo had a lot of them so she gave me one. Satisfied?" At Rein's unsatisfied look, he went on, "I want to try out sketching so she gave me this."

"You and Mirlo have gotten so close, huh..."

Shade gave her an infuriating smirk. "Are you jealous?"

"Me, jealous?" She huffed. "You wish! As if a girl in her right mind would ever...like you."

Rein swallowed. Did she just insult Mirlo? She understood why she liked him all right. Like the way he never gave a damn about what the others thought of him... Okay, she's not going to talk about his redeemable qualities while he's smirking at her!

"My apologies, Fine. I think I just made her brain shut down."

That little overbearing, aggravating piece of-

"What's up with you guys?" Fine interjected, watching Rein quietly seethe with worry in her eyes. "You guys are arguing like a couple of kids-"

"We're not a couple!" The quarreling pair said in unison. Realizing that they've agreed on something for once, Shade met her eyes and his face reddened. Rein had the same reaction too and the two of them looked away in perfect synchronization.

Fine glanced at the two of them curiously. "Now, that you mentioned it, you two really do act like one."

"You're not helping, Fine!"

* * *

"-that little overbearing, aggravating piece of...crap!"

"Uh, Rein..."

"He's more of a jerk these days! I wonder what's gotten to him. Maybe Mirlo doesn't like him anymore so he took out his frustration on me? Wait, that's wrong. I get the feeling that Mirlo's teaching him how to actually draw. Ha! As if being close to someone with artistic talent will help him get better! Now, I'm starting to think Shade shouldn't be with her. Mirlo's too good for him."

"Rein!"

Rein's pout transformed into a smile in a matter of seconds. "What is it, Calorie?"

"Why are you telling me this? It's not like I can help you out on sorting your...issue with Shade."

"I'm not asking for your help or anything! I just wanted to educate you on how jerk-y a guy can be. Honestly, guys can be so annoying for no reason at all!"

Calorie awkwardly glanced at Noche who was supposed to be seated on the chair Rein was currently occupying. Rein didn't take the hint so the timid boy just stood there until Lemon dragged him to somewhere.

"By the way, how's it going with Tauri?" Rein asked eagerly.

Calorie fidgeted in her seat.

That means only two kinds of news: 'uh-oh' or 'squee!'

"Rein," Calorie began, her tone making the other girl's stomach sink. "I don't think things are working out between us."

"If only Fine kicked Tauri between his legs instead of hitting his hard head with a ball..." Rein blurted out, envisioning the pencil she's angrily clutching in her hands as Tauri's neck. "Maybe things will work out differently."

"Fine might've given him brain damage," someone suggested.

"That must be it-Shade, butt out!" Now, she's thinking of strangling Shade.

Going so far as to eavesdrop on and interrupt something sacred like a girl talk? This guy was absolutely crossing the line!

Thankfully, her hero, who came in the form of a blond prince with warm crimson eyes, hauled the indigo-haired guy away from them.

"Keep on provoking her and she will catch on," the princely guy said with a smile that told Rein that he knew crucial information that she didn't.

He's still as swoon-worthy as ever...

"I believe I told you to keep your mouth shut, Bright," Shade grumbled as he removed the blond's hand on his arm.

"Guys like Bright are very few, huh?" Calorie said once Shade was pulled out of earshot by the blond.

"True," Rein agreed. "So, have you seen Tauri with another girl or argued a lot with him recently?"

"No, I just think we're better off as friends."

Sea-green eyes widened. She had thought they were doing quite well in progressing their friendship into something more. "You what?"

"I feel like I'm not ready for a relationship. Tauri's not either."

"But you like him and he likes you too."

"Does he really?" Calorie questioned. "What if he's just forced to accept my feelings after what Fine did to him?"

Of course, she had thought of that too. Ignoring Fine's voice in her head telling her 'I told you so,' Rein figured she should rethink her matchmaking methods.

She knew that force was a dangerous thing in a relationship. You can't force someone to like you and you can't force yourself to like someone. Feelings develop through time. You don't develop feelings for someone after just a few witty conversations. That only happens in unrealistic novels and movies.

But if the feelings were already there, a little push was allowed.

Rein was at a loss.

"Maybe it's not yet the time, Rein," Calorie told her, her smile sad.

But, but... "But this is high school!" Rein protested. "We should seize the moment while it's still there! Enjoy friendship and romance before it's all over! You can never be sure what will happen in the future!"

"Being friends isn't a bad thing."

"What if he finds another girl? What if his feelings for you faded?" The bluenette reasoned, her hands flailing to emphasize her point. "Don't you want to do something to prevent that?"

Calorie shook her head. "Sometimes, the best option is to let time tell you."

* * *

Ponderous hours later, Rein glumly watched Fine and Calorie leave classroom together. She found she was starting to miss the days when she and her sister would dash out the room hand in hand as soon as the classes were dismissed. Then they will proceed to the cafeteria and Fine will buy anything from ice cream to piping hot coffee while Rein would drool on the guys passing by... Grossing each other out had been so fun.

Reverting to reality, Rein stood up and stretched as her eyes honed in on her target. She made sure there was considerable distance between them but not enough to make him disappear in her sight before she started tailing him. As a matchmaker, she was well-versed in stal- um, observing people she was confident even someone as keen-eyed as him couldn't blow her cover.

Taking advantage of the ensuing human traffic, she managed to stay unnoticed as they passed by the hallways. Deciding it's now or never, she hastened her steps, hiding in the shadow of a fellow student whenever that distinct indigo-haired head made even the most minuscule movement. A few more steps and a reminder to not repeat yesterday's accident later, she stood on her tiptoes and clapped him on the shoulders with as force as possible.

"Gah!" Shade yelped, his books falling from his arms. "R-Rein!"

Triumphant, Rein cackled like they were the only students in the hallway.

"So immature," Shade quipped, bending down to retrieve his books while Rein continued laughing like there's no tomorrow.

"What a manly scream you have there, Shade!"

"Is this payback for earlier? I didn't really do anything wrong! You did that to yourself!"

Without Fine acting as a (sort-of) pacifier between them, the bickering seemed to go on forever.

* * *

"Okay, let's start again," Rein began, her eyes set on Shade's forehead. "This time without the acting like kids or whatever."

Shade also had his eyes fixed on something above her head for probably the same reason as hers. "By whatever, you mean acting like a married couple."

Rein sat on the balustrade behind her. She won't need to look at him without appearing rude this way. "You're annoying me again."

He snorted, taking a seat as well. "Deny it if you want, but that's what other people think about us. At least, Fine and Bright do."

What were they saying behind her back? "What do you want to talk about, Shade?"

Unphased by her not-so-subtle subject change, he said, "You look down."

Ignoring the skipping beat of her heart, she laughed. "You need to get your eyes examined. I'm anything but down today."

"I overheard Calorie talking to you about her relationship with Tauri though."

"By overhear, you mean eavesdrop."

"It's not like the two of you are whispering about it," Shade retorted without shame. "Since I can't forget your conversation, I just want to throw in my two cents."

Rein raised an eyebrow. Since when was Shade a busybody?

"Just...," he trailed off, unsure despite his previous statement. "Take it easy."

"Take easy on what?"

"Your matchmaking. You expect them to stay happy together and forever and whatever...," he rolled his eyes. "But that doesn't always happen. You know that better than anyone."

"I just want to make my friends happy. If being together with the ones they've been pining for will make them smile even more, I'm game!" _Whether they want to or not,_ she silently added with what must have been an unnerving smile.

"Your passion is scaring me," he muttered. "However, on the occasion where they break up which is likely since this is high school, they'll get hurt instead and you'll be the one to blame."

"Like you said, this is high school!" She replied cheerily. "It is better to build and progress relationships than pining and wondering about what ifs. Even if it doesn't work out, there will always be a way to fix it in the end."

"You're such an optimist,"Shade remarked, smiling at her.

Shade looked a lot better when he smiled. Her automatic reaction to rare occasions like this was to look away. Why was meeting his eyes so difficult? What happened?

Lately, he made her feel emotions she shouldn't have.

"U-um, Calorie doesn't seem to regret confessing to Tauri so I think I'm doing alright..." Great, she's stuttering like a high school girl with a crush.

"That's good. You don't really need my help, huh?"

"You're wrong!" She said. "Talking to you helped. You made me think, which is good since I haven't done a lot of thinking these days..."

Seeing Shade try to hold back his laughter, she backpedaled. "Hey, I'm not an idiot! I mean, I made decisions based on what my feelings told me. We all know it's not ideal to follow what your heart told you all the time so thank you!"

"You're welcome."

The conversation is over, then. The two of them will pick up their stuff and head home. But some part of Rein thought differently. It admitted a need to keep this conversation going. A need to be with him longer...

"Oh!" She exclaimed as if she forgot something. "One more thing! I almost forgot to ask you about Mirlo!"

Shade's grip on his books tightened. "What about Mirlo?"

"Was she teaching you how to actually draw?" She asked with a sly smile.

"Milky is nagging me to draw something for her after she saw Mirlo's sketch of her. I had to do something to make her stop mocking me..." His words were irritated but the fond smile he makes whenever he talked about his little sister was there.

She wished he showed this side of him more often. "Is there any improvement?"

He shook his head. "I think it will take me months for my art to stop looking like a kid's drawing next to Mirlo's."

"She's talented."

"She obviously is," he agreed. "She's a friend I never thought I needed."

"Wow. That's...poetic."

"It's the first thing that came to my mind. She and I... We clicked so easily." He uttered the next sentence softly as if he didn't intend for Rein to hear him. "I wish I had gotten to know her sooner."

Rein couldn't explain it clearly but those words made her heart clench. It's unhealthy to over analyze but she can't help but wonder. What did he mean by that?

She was starting to regret bringing Mirlo up. If talking about her with Shade brought this kind of reaction...

"Rein?"

She almost jumped in surprise. "Yes?"

"I think we should get going," he told her, glancing at his watch.

"R-Right!" She said, trying to sound like her usual cheerful self. "Time flies so fast. I hope I didn't bore you with all my nonsensical chatter today, Shade."

He chuckled. "You will never be boring to me, Rein."

There it was again, her heart's annoying reaction to him. She didn't ask for this. Not now. Especially due to _him._

They were silent as they left the school grounds. Both of them were in deep thought.

She wanted to know what was going on in his head. She wanted to get him out of her head.

She wasn't the dense yet still lovable idiot like her sister so Rein could piece things together quickly. She learned from other people that denial will only get you nowhere so she had to admit it.

When did this start? Was it yesterday? Or was it a long time coming? Did she only realize it after feeling what could only be jealousy?

This is like Bright all over again.

* * *

Additional notes:

-We have red/blue moon and red/blue moon... And now I give you art moon! I-It doesn't sound right. What would you guys call ShadexMirlo? What about AulerxAltessa?


End file.
